


The greatest love song of all time

by Himecchin



Category: Mamamoo
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, F/F, alternative universe, hwabyul, moonsun, well sort of happy ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-01
Updated: 2019-02-02
Packaged: 2019-07-23 07:43:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 21,255
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16154630
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Himecchin/pseuds/Himecchin
Summary: Hwabyul AU.Moonbyul meets Hwasa, a 23-year-old beautiful singer.They say "All good stories start with "once upon a time" and they end with "happily ever after". But real life is just a little more complicated.





	1. First

At first glance, Byulyi isn't the type of person who looks like an alpha, probably because of all those dumb stereotypes.  
She’s calm, so poised, little interested in showing off. And besides, she is always surrounded by betas, and it's well known that betas herd together.   
But unfortunately, she is an alpha, a 28-year-old alpha, unmarried and workaholic, and all of a sudden the world seems unable to handle it.

“When will you give us some grandchildren to spoil? You have to hurry up!” it’s her parent favorite question these days and she is fuckin’ tired of it. Top of that, even her friends seems to have concerns about her status single and they started to drag her out the office (against her will, of course). And so, Moon Byul-Yi, unpaired 28-year-old alpha, finds herself in a catchy pub, sitting next to her best friend, who keeps complaining about her fiance, and a frozen mojito in her hands.

«Yongsun», she snorts, interrupting the pitiful babbling of her friend «What are we doing here?».  
Yongsun shakes her head playfully and smiles «Isn’t it obvious? We are enjoying a lovely night»  
«In a pub for teenagers? Not to mention that you can’t hold any alcohol since…forever?».  
The woman blushes, exposed by her best friend’s words «It’s not! Hani comes here often, and I got interested! She said there are a lot of charming people here!». «Uh? Your boyfriend is not enough?»  
Yongsun puffs out her cheeks in anger «You brat…! I’m here to help you to meet new people and make friends, and all you can do is…!»  
«Ok ok, don’t make all this fuss. I’m sorry. Anyway, I have enough friends, even with benefit, just in case you don’t know. It’s not like I’m utterly alone, ok?»  
«I know» Yongsun replies, a few seconds later «I know, but…I just want you to be happy and Byul, love can be really…amazing»  
«I know. It’s just not the right time. I have a lot of work and…» «When the “right time” will come, huh?»

_Why do people worry too much about my future?_

«I don’t know! Damn, it’s not like I’m on the threshold of menopause!».

 

Any response from Yongsun is interrupted by the lowering of the lights, and Byulyi silently thanks that diversion.  
She doesn’t want to talk about her sentimental life anymore, for God’s sake. «  
Hey everybody, are you ready?» says a voice into a mic, receiving from the public an excited roar «It’s time! Make some noise!».  
Another roar, someone whistles; the girl in the front table gets up to applaud in the direction of the small stage.  
«Can we go now? Or you wanna listen to some music here and, I don’t know, smokes weed later? Like very old times».  
Yongsun rolls her eyes and leaps on her feet «Fine! I give up! We can…», but any other word dies on her lips when the curtain opens. Byulyi follows her friend’s gaze and the world just…stops.

On stage, there are not some punks with guitar and leather jackets; otherwise, there is a black grand piano in the corner and a girl, no, a beautiful girl, in the spotlight. She is young, probably in her early twenties; she has a long white dress that accentuates her silhouette, shining high heels and a cascade of wavy black hair that would be the envy of any girl. Her makeup is strong, but not exaggerate, and her big lips are stained with red lipstick.  
Byulyi just cannot look away: that girl is uninhibited, mesmerizing beyond comprehension.  
«Oh my god, who is she? She is like a godness». The waitress, come to take away the empty glasses, laughs briefly before answering «She is Hwasa, the star of this pub».  
«Oh my god, she is perfect» says Yongsun, who has zero filters between brain and mouth.  
The waitress gives her a sympathetic smile before leaving, and just one careless sentence «And you have not heard her voice yet…».  
Byulyi sits again, curious. Will her voice be as beautiful as she is? After a few seconds, a man in a black suit comes onstage and goes straight to the piano, in the absolute silence of the crowd. There is a strange tension now, a palpable widespread expectation. The music that spreads in the room is soft and gentle, like those old melodies who lived in the past; it doesn’t really suit with the young audience who dreamy watch the singer. When Hwasa starts to sing, anyway, everything fits together, and no one dares to breathe.  
Her voice is…wow, just wow, Byulyi can’t articulate an appropriate adjective. It's a powerful tone, but also a sweet one; it's just a perfect combination of innocence and malice. The story that the song tells might be happy or sad, frivolous or serious, but Byulyi can’t really focus on it.  
Hwasa exudes confidence on the stage, it’s clearly her natural environment: she moves across the small perimeter with sensual passion, staring at the audience without hesitation. For one second, their eyes lock across the room; her gaze is ferocious like a noble predator.  
_She is a lioness._  
Clearly a merciless one.

 

In the end, she and Yongsun were there till the end.  
The performance didn't last very long, just three beautiful songs and a small talk between Hwasa and the pianist about the lyrics.  
When they come out, the sky was full of stars.  
«God, that pub is my new favorite place from now! Did you see her? Did you hear that voice? And…»  
«I was there too, you know, right?», but Yongsun doesn’t really listen to her, too immersed in her speech.  
_That’s so typical of her._  
When Byulyi was young, when she politely called Yongsun “unnie” at the college and they shared short meals together talking about idols and stuff, she'd fallen in love with her overexcited nature. Yongsun was always so thrilled about everything, so curious and funny. At that time, be in love with her, well…it was inevitable. Looking back on it now, Byulyi knows it never would’ve worked out between them, but the memory about her adolescent crush just makes her sad.  
Love was never been kind to her. _Who says alpha’s life is a piece of cake?_  
«I think you’re a little overexcited Yongsun. You're acting like a naughty schoolgirl with her first crush» she says, after a while.  
The older girl snorts like a hippo, crossing her arms. «Don’t be stupid, I’m an engaged woman, you know?»  
«Oh I really know that, but maybe your heart doesn’t know it very well».  
«I’m just…amazed, I think? Her voice was so stong, and her appearance too. How come she's not an idol? Eh? It’s impossible that nobody knows about her talent! Maybe she doesn’t want to be ad idol? Or…»  
«How would I know? Unnie, you’re overexciting again. Let's put you in a cab now, tomorrow you have to work and…» but her voice dies, and the time flies faster.  
Across the street, there is the girl they’re talking about, with another person; Byulyi barely recognizes her as the waitress of the pub. They are waiting for the bus, in silence, hand in hand, under a bright streetlight.  
Carelessly Hwasa, still on her shiny heels, embraces the other girl to keep her warm in the night, and Byulyi can see the waitress’s eyes: they are so full of love.  
It makes her smiles softly; they are so cute.

 

The second time that Byulyi meets Hwasa’s gaze they are not in the pub.  
There’s always been a supermarket behind her home, but Byulyi usually does her shopping online, even for food and drinks; she doesn’t have much free time. But that night the fridge was empty, her favorite takeout place closed, so she just drags herself out for a beer and a cup of instant ramen for a late dinner, and…they meet again.  
Sitting at the drugstore counter, Hwasa is different, but Byulyi recognizes her instantly. She wears an ill-fitting yellow uniform, her black hair is tied up in a messy bun and there is no makeup on her face, except for a very thin layer of lipgloss. She is still dangerously beautiful.  
«Will that be all?» she asks and Byul just nods, her eyes fixed on the beers.  
«2300₩ please» She pays slowly, but Hwasa – no, her name tag says Ahn Hyejin – doesn’t look bothered or annoyed.  
«Thank you», and Byulyi goes home.  
  
Byulyi buys the groceries at the supermarket for a week before she finds the courage to speak up to Hwasa.  
She doesn’t really know why she feels that attraction toward the young girl. She doesn’t want to have sex with her or something like that, but she feels the need to know her, just a little; probably she is just entranced by her magical beauty.  
«I…I know you» Byulyi finally says, out of nowhere. Hwasa looks at her, unimpressed, the money still in her hand.  
«I heard you sing, sometimes. At the pub. You’re really good. I mean, your voice is really good. I just wanted to compliment you», her voice got out very firm, but she feels stupid and embarrassed «Your voice is very beautiful».  
After a moment, a very long moment for Byulyi, the younger girl starts to laugh «Oh my god, you scared me Unnie, you know? I thought “Oh god, she is a stalker”».  
«What? Nope! I just recognized you and I really wanted to tell you that. Not a creepy stalker, I swear, I live near here!».  
«I believe you», the girl smiles, extends her hand to Byulyi «Nice to meet you».  
Hwasa has delicate hands, her slender fingers wrap hers in a gentle handshake. Byulyi notices her long pink nails, and the small ring around her third finger.  
«Will you come tomorrow? I’m going to sing a new song», Hwasa’s eyes are excited, but her voice is quiet «This time it’s my very own composition».  
«For real? When I was young, I often wrote lyrics», Byulyi says carelessly, even though it’s not a topic she does like to talk. Her teenager dream to be an idol had been shot down by her parents so fast that say it out loud made her feel stupid. She didn’t even try, too discouraged by her mother’s words about show business.  
«Wow, lyrics about what?»  
«Unrequited love, a classic», and Hwasa giggles.  
«Indeed…Anyway, I’d like to read them, there’s always more to learn about love».

Byulyi nods, but she can’t help feeling like some sort of impostor. Love is really not her competence. Hwasa’s lips, eyes and hands talk about love a million times better than her songs.


	2. Second

Byulyi doesn’t know how she has become a pub regular. Probably it is Yongsun’s fault, _like always._  
After she told her about her encounter with Hwasa at the supermarket, Yongsun convinced her to go to the pub, because _“You have to be there, stupid Byul!”_.  
So she’d worn her favorite suit, did all the makeup with an unusual care and right after work she went there.  
Hwasa’s performance was amazing (that time Byulyi paid attention to the words of the song; it wasn’t a love song), and at the very end she approached her, still really unsure.  
The younger girl had a smile that used to light up the entire pub.  
«Did you like my song, unnie?» she asked.   
«I loved it», and then their friendship began, probably.  
To be honest, Byulyi was a little surprised about the ease with which they bonded, despite the age difference, but Hyejin had been very friendly, funny and deliciously self-centered right away. She was irresistible.  
Futhermore, Hyejin had forced her to help her with her new project and nothing, really nothing, cemented their relationship so much as music. Byulyi are loving this whole “music things” though, it reminds her the old days, when she worked about her songs nonstop, even during class. Hyejin is the most gifted singer she has ever known, her lyrics are very intense, in some ways almost tragic, but her words don’t always work with the rhythm of the music. So Byulyi offers her help and now, well, she sits alone at the table, immersed in her work, just after closing time.  
«Hyejin is enslaving you?», asks a voice behind her. Byulyi smiles, shaking her head.  
The girl, long brown hair and black curious eyes, sits in front of her, absolutely not convinced. Wheein has been a pleasant surprise; she is Hyejin’s…well, Byulyi doesn’t know it for sure, she doesn’t dare ask. Wheein is an adorable omega, always smiley and relaxed, with her funny head in the clouds; she is the head waitress of the pub, and she is almost always there when Byulyi comes after work.  
«You can say “no”, you know? You should go home and rest»  
«I don’t really mind, I actually enjoy it. Anyway» Byulyi stares at her, the younger girl has dark circles under her eyes and she seems tired «I’ve never seen you say no to her»  
«It’s too late for me Unnie», her tone of voice is not really playful as it should be «but it’s not for you».  
Byulyi doesn’t reply, and a uncomfortable silence falls between them.  
_What kind of relationship those two have…?_  
At the beginning, Byulyi thought that they were partners (Wheein is always searching Hyejin’s hands and Hyejin almost once a day twirls Wheein’s hair with affection) but, as time went on, she noticed a sort of slight tension between them.  
One minute they are cuddling like crazy, and then next…they not even talk to each other.  
Maybe they are going through a couple crisis or something like that, but that’s just her assumption, Byulyi doesn’t want to look like a meddler.  
«You know, it wasn’t always like this, there was a time when I could say no to her», Wheein says all of a sudden «That was really long time ago»  
«How long?»  
«We were both little girls, we used to be really stubborn», she cackles softly «our favourite game was to pretend to be the princess who waited for her prince but…neither of us wanted to be the prince. Never. We always ended up arguing all day»  
«I often played that game with my little sister too, you know? I was always the prince, but it wasn’t so bad. I had to save her from the dragon and married her».  
Wheein’s eyes do not smile anymore, but her mouth laughs «If I’d known this before, probably I would had surrendered to her those days»  
«Since when have you known each other?» Byulyi casually asks her.  
Wheein grabs the wallet from her bag and shows her an old photo, with two young girls. In the picture, Wheein e Hyejin were probably 12 years old and they had big, toothy smiles. _So cute._  
«Since forever. Same neighbourhood, same school, same love for the music. We even moved in Seoul together, after graduation. We wanted to be pop idols and…»  
«Wait, wait, you sing too?»  
Wheein smiles to her again, amused «Are you surprised?»  
«I didn’t know abo--»  
«Of course, you couldn’t have known unnie. You don’t know us very well enough», the girl lowers her gaze, searching her picture «But you will, eventually. If you want to»  
«I…I really care about you two»  
«Good, because Hyejin is clearly grown attached to you and I don’t like seeing her sad»  
Byulyi shallows, not sure how to respond «I really care about her, she is a nice girl and…»  
«What are you talking about?» asks a voice, out for nowhere. Hyejin appears behind Wheein, in all her glory. She is still had the pretty outfit that she wore earlier on the stage and she looks like a naughty goodness, with her red corset.  
«You» replies Wheein, without hesitation.  
The youngest girl sneers seraphic and hops on the table, her bare thighs dangling in front of them «So it’s true, I’m the center of the world».  
Wheein looks up and Byulyi can see her eyes are melting in the light of Hwasa’s smile.  
«Yes, you are»

 

«Nothing ever happens by chance, you know?» Yongsun sighs, out of nowhere.  
They are sitting at the pub, waiting for Hwasa’s performance; it is raining heavily outside but the pub is full like crazy and there is a constant gabbing that gives Byulyi a headache, but this night Hyejin is going to sing their songs, and she can’t wait for it.  
«What are you talking about?»  
«About you and Hyejin. You seem to get along well»  
«Yes, she is a good kid, just like you», she says for tease Yongsun, but the woman shakes her head.  
«I’m serious Byul»  
«What’s the matter?»  
«She makes you smile Byul. You don’t see it, but I do. You light up like a candle whenever you look at her or talk about her. You even stopped working overtime for help Hyejin with the songs»  
«What are you saying all of a sudden? You know how much I love music! You're imagining things Unnie, she is pretty and funny but I never done anything! She is young and…»  
«Why?» the blonde girl interrupts her.  
«Why what?»  
«Why are you justifying yourself? What is this?»  
«I…What? I…»  
«I think she is a beta» Yongsun stares at her, something in her tone changed «I saw her in the toilet, Byul. She takes pills, little pink pills _just like mine_ ».  
Time stops, for one second.  
Byulyi remembers very well those pills, those damn things almost killed her best friend when they were in college.  
Yongsun took pills to hide her beta scent from others for a very long time.  
It is not uncommon for betas and omegas (to be honest, even a few alphas are starting to do that) choose to hide their scent, especially when they are young; some people do it for mere privacy, other for find the true love, _that kind of love that goes beyond biological roles_ , but most of them do it for avoid discriminations.  
Byulyi never had particular problems, but she is an alpha, the “dominant” role of the society; omegas and betas are another story.  
Sadly, stereotypes are hard to die and some stupid people still try to reinforce gender roles; for example, an omega doctors can be still viewed with suspicion by some people, like if having heats once in a while prevented they from doing a good job.  
Fortunately, the world is changing, although not fast enough for Byulyi liking.  
Not so long ago, some pharmaceutical companies had launched _miraculous pills_ designated to hide any scent, with a million of dangerous contraindications, in Byulyi’s opinion; still they are very popular.  
Unfortunately, not all people are compatible with legal suppressant; Yongsun was found to be resistant to treatment with those, so the girl had chosen to deal with the problem in another way.  
It’s not really difficult to find an alternative, smugglers are always _very happy_ to provide any request with illegal pills from America or China, depending how much someone want to spend.  
Yongsun pills were pink, quite cheap, easily mistaken for vitamins by anyone.  
That shit caused her an internal bleeding and the perforation of the intestine. Byulyi can remember it as if it were yesterday: Yongsun that collapsed before her eyes, the ambulance, the hospital, Yongsun’s sister in tears, the final diagnoses, her anger.  
_Not again._  
«You can’t know that for sure»  
«Not for sure», Yongsun looks away, in the direction of the stage «but I know what I saw, Byul. It makes sense, don’t you think?». Immediately Byulyi understands what her friend is referring to. They shared the same old dream during college, but they gave up for different reasons.  
From the start, Byulyi didn’t have the support of her parent, and when her mother started to press her about university she just accomplished what they wanted, but her friend case was quite different.  
Yongsun had, _has_ , a very beautiful voice, but she is a beta, and well, stereotypies say clearly that betas don’t have any charisma or any particular physical endurance, two aspects absolutely indispensable to become an idol. She had considerable difficulties in getting support for her debut, but she had made it, in the end.  
However, her agency forced Yongsun to hide her beta status for a while and well, the rest is history. After leaving the hospital, Yongsun gave up everything and started the conservatoire to become a voice teacher.  
«Do you think Hyejin is forced to hide her beta status for her career?»  
«I don’t know. I just know what I saw» Yongsung repeats meekly «And I didn’t like it».

 

Byulyi chooses not to talk to Hyejin, instead, she approaches Wheein, who’s cleaning the floor.  
She want to get to the bottom of this, for the good of all.  
«Wheein» she calls her, a bit rough, and the younger girl stops any movement. It’s her instincts, after all, to be afraid of an angry alpha.  
«What is it? You seems serious»  
«I’ll cut to the chase: Hyejin takes some illegal suppressants?».  
Wheein stiffens, clinging to the broomstick «Are you talking about the pink pills?».  
Byulyi feels something cracking inside her, a shiver of fear vibrates down her spine.  
_Not again, please not again._  
«Those pills are food supplements, not drugs», she says and goes back to sweep out the floor «She's been on a crazy diet, like always»  
«I don’t think they are food supplements, Wheein»  
« _They are._ See for yourself», the girl puts the free hand into her pocket, and she brings out a pink pill to Byulyi «I snagged one of them from Hyejin. I wanted to try it, but the smell is disgusting».  
The pill is pretty much as Byulyi remembered, maybe a bit bigger.  
«Since when did Hyejin start taking this?»  
The girl doesn’t reply, suddenly she seems out of her depth «They are food supplements, aren’t they?»  
«Since when, Wheein?»  
«I don’t know, six months? Something like that. Are they dangerous? No, right?».  
_Oh you, poor thing._  
«They are suppressants. Illegal suppressants, probably from China or Thailand», Byulyi clenches her hand, with anger, the pill between her fingers «They are very harmful»  
«It makes no sense. She can take legal suppressants, she doesn’t need illegal pills. You’re mistaken, for sure»  
«I’m not, I’ve already seen these pills, I know them very well»  
«She takes legal suppressants since forever, Unnie, I always end up buying them for her and…»  
«When is the last time you bought suppressants for her, then?».

Wheein gasps like a drowning fish, incapable of talking, her eyes widen with horror; Byulyi sees the knowledge strikes the younger girl without mercy.  
_I’m so sorry._  
The younger girl suddenly drops the broomstick and runs away, without saying a single word to her. Byulyi can hear a door slam and the beginning of a discussion, but she puts on her jacket very quickly and left, hungry for some booze.  
She feels like there's a lump in her throat, that won’t go away very easily.


	3. Third

Byulyi comes back to the pub the weekend after the "crime".  
To be honest, she doesn't know what to expect when she walks through the door.  
_Hyejin hates her now? What happened after she left?_  
The pub is still empty, probably It’s just opened; she never came this early but…  
«Byulyi-unnie?», Wheein calls her from behind the bar «What are you doing here this early?».  
«I don’t work today, so I stopped by» she replies and quickly sits down at the bench.  
«Hyejin is not here yet, you have to settle for me» the girl casually adds and takes a beer in her hands «For you, this is on the house»  
«Thank you»  
«So, how was your business trip?»  
«It was a lie», Byulyi slowly takes a sip of beer «I just wanted to figure stuff out before I see her again»  
«I thought so»  
«Wheein--»  
«Stop», Wheein’s eyes are sharp, if possible they are a little darker than usual «Just stop. Everything is ok».  
«How can _that_ be ok?» Byulyi asks, raising her voice.  
It’s not like she doesn’t trust Wheein, but the girl is just too naive and sweet to take control over Hwasa bad choices.  
«It’s all fixed now so you don’t have to worry about it», Wheein tries to cut the discussion «It’s alright»  
«How?»  
«I can’t tell you that», the girl’s face is inscrutable and Byulyi understands instinctively that something is _not right_ , «not yet»  
«You’re absolutely sure that she will never take that shit again?», and Wheein nods without hesitation. At last, the gesture reassures Byulyi; she keeps drinking down to the last drop, deep in her thought, without forcing the girl.  
In the end, Wheein knows Hyejin better than her.  
«She doesn’t know about you», says Wheein, after a while, «She thinks I discovered her lies, not you. I thought it was best to leave you out of it. I…»  
«It’s ok,» Byulyi interrupts her, smiling «what matters is that she stops her self-destructive behaviour».  
«Yes, you’re right. Just…don’t say a word to anyone, please»  
«Of course not», _besides Yongsun, for obvious reasons._  
«I’m really grateful to you Unnie», Wheein sighs «I probably wouldn't have noticed until...»  
_It would be too late for her._  
«Shhh, it’s ok. Nothing happened», Byulyi whispers with a sweet voice, grabbing her trembling hands «It’s alright»  
«I was so stupid. I…»  
«You couldn’t know. You trusted her, Wheein. That’s what people do»  
«But she lied to me! I let her hurt her health undisturbed and…».  
Byulyi doesn’t say anything anymore, she just keeps holding tightly the girl’s hands.  
Wheein, now, really needs to let off steam; her words crash on the floor, in the silence of the pub.  
Byulyi can remember very well that feeling of helplessness, of weakness, that she felt when Yongsun rested in her hospital bed, pale and weak; she still can’t forgive herself completely for not noticing anything. Probably Wheein is blaming herself in that same unnecessary way.  
«I cannot thank you enough, Unnie», the younger girl breaks apart from her and opens another bottle of beer «But it’s on me tonight, order all you can drink. And I know how much you can drink»  
«You must love her very much then» Byulyi laughs, accepting the drink.  
«And _you_? You love her as much as I do?», Wheein retorts her, with a serious tone.  
The mood changed so fast that Byulyi still wears a smile on her lips when Wheein looks away from her with rage.  
«I’m sorry, I probably saw you as an enemy from the beginning Unnie. Hyejin kept talking about you and your talent with music and I was really envious. I consoled myself with the thought that I know her better than you and stuff like that but…you actually saved her from herself. And I really hated you for this. It had to be me to notice her behavior, not you. I detested you, and I’m really sorry about it, but», Wheein’s voice is strong, fierce, but she has watery eyes «don’t pity me, please».  
Byulyi is amazed, but immediately realizes that she accidentally touched a nerve, the **worst** nerve ever.  
Now, she can see it clearly, for the first time, _the spectrum of unrequited love._  
Oh. _Oh shit._  
«I don’t pity you, Wheein. I have no reason to» she says, carefully; seriously, parallelism with the past are starting to become too much, «actually I know very well what are you feeling». Wheein is staring her right in the face, softened a bit, and Byulyi continues, with a twinge of old pain in her chest «my best friend never loved me back, she rejected me».

It’s ironic thinking about this right now. Yongsun was her first love, with her little dimples and her childish temperament; Byulyi dreamed of what it would be like to kiss her every night, in the silence of her room, until one day she finally did it, unable to hold back anymore.  
She'd be lying if she told she remembers the taste of Yongsun’s lips or _bullshits like that_ , but surely she will never forget the happiness and the sadness of that day.  
Happiness, because she had tasted the forbidden fruit of her dreams.  
Sadness, because Yongsun had run away from her, in tears. What happened after…well, that was painful, Yongsun couldn't even look at Byulyi while she rejected her, with shaking words.

  
_“I want us to stay friends”_  
_“Yes, I know”_

«You managed to stay friends with her?», Wheein interrupts her line of thought «Even after that?»  
«At the beginning, it was very awkward, but you know what they say “time heals all wounds”, no? I loved her, I didn’t want to lose her. And I didn’t. She is going to marry a good guy, and I’m happy for her. But it took some time to get over her, yes»  
«I don’t think I can do it»  
«Did you confess to her? Hyejin might surprise you» she tries, but Wheein snorts and shakes her head.  
«She already knows, Unnie. Hyejin is no dummy. But she can’t love me back»  
«Because she is a beta?» she asks, because it is the one thing that stands out in Byulyi mind «Beta-omega relationships are pretty popular, and they worked very well».  
Wheein doesn’t reply, unreadable; Byulyi thinks to see a glimpse of surprise in the other girl gaze, but it’s been so fleeting that she can’t be sure about it.  
«She loves someone else?» she tries again.  
«Who knows», Wheein removes her empty bottle and replaces it with another one, «She wants to go to America, find an agency there and never comes back. I don't want to screw everything up just 'cause I'm miserable. I’m her friend, I have to support her, now more than ever»  
«You’re strong, Jung Wheein», _surely more than the old me._  
Wheein breaks into a small smile but her gaze goes past Byulyi, to Hwasa. She has just arrived but the atmosphere around them is already changed.  
It's softened.  
«Unnie?», Hyejin approaches Byulyi cheerfully, «Are you back from your business trip? Are you alright?».  
Her smile is so bright that, for one instant, Byulyi forgets how to breathe. Hyejin still doesn’t wear any makeup or fancy dress, and looks very young, innocent.  
«Yes…yes. I got home this morning»  
«Did you bring us back any souvenirs? Like food or wine?»  
«No, I’m sorry, but next time I will».  
Hyejin’s pout is adorable, but it immediately disappears when Wheein gives her a glass of red wine «Just one, you have to sing tonight, remember?»  
«Huh-huh», Hyejin mumbles, «I don’t feel like singing today»  
«Why?», they ask at the same time, but the younger girl doesn’t answer: she drinks all the red liquid and runs to the bathroom, without a word.  
_How strange._

 

Yongsun joins her hours later, shortly before Hwasa performance; she orders a Pina colada without alcohol, _basically a pineapple juice_ , and sits near Byulyi, excited.  
«I had my first official dress fitting today» she says, laughing, «my dad cried all the time. I felt guilty for a while»  
«They were tears of joy, Yong» Byulyi can’t hold a smile «he probably thought something like “I'll finally be able to stay alone with my wife without interruptions”»  
«Hey you little---», but the curtain opens and Yongsun just hits her, slightly, as punishment.  
Hwasa is wearing a sexy outfit, vaguely juvenile: a short red skirt, a black crop top and a pair of long black boots, her hair gathered into two symmetrical ponytails.  
_Cheeky._  
Byulyi swallows hard, her heart beats furiously.  
«How cute» Yongsun says, thrilled, but Byulyi doesn’t speak a word, licking her dry lips.  
_How sexy._  
«Today song is about a pair of fabulous heels that I can’t buy», Hwasa voice is velvety, hypnotizing, «I hope you will like it».  
«I’ll buy them for you!» someone screams from the public, and Hyejin smirks in response, but her eyes suddenly hardens.  
Byulyi finds out immediately that something is off, although Hwasa starts singing beautifully.  
«Something is wrong» she whispers to Yongsun.  
«Huh?»  
«I don’t know, but…».  
«No way», Wheein stammers, appearing again behind the bar.  
All at once, they turns towards her. She looks like a startled puppy, with those big eyes and those trembling lips.  
«What is it?» Yongsun asks, but Wheein doesn’t offer a response.  
«Wheein?» Byulyi calls, a bit concerned.  
«That guy, over there, with the red blouse», her voice is little more than a whisper «He is from my town. He…It’s Hyejin ex-boyfriend».  
Byulyi eyes search and find the boy pretty quickly; it was not really difficult, he stands out among the people with his red blouse and his long black hair.  
«He was…He is _not a good guy_ », Wheein continues «He shouldn’t be here».  
«Was he abusive?» Yongsun yells with horror, but Wheein doesn’t say anything anymore.  
For the second time, but for a different reason, Byulyi’s throat feels dry.  
She stares at him, analyzing every inch of him. The boy is standing in the corner of the room, as if he wants to hide, but he has an annoying smirk on his stupid face, and his eyes don’t leave Hyejin.  
He knows he’d been spotted.  
Byulyi doesn’t like how that man stares at Hyejin, not at all; he is undressing her with his disgusting eyes, undisturbed.  
She can feel the anger building in her, she wants to hit him with her bare hands right now. However, she can’t, she has no reason to.  
_Of course I have that right_ , says a voice inside her, but fortunately, her mind prevails on her instinct.  
«I’ll take you and Hyejin home tonight» Byulyi finally manages to say with a firm tone «Don’t worry about him. He will stay away from her».   
_Or, I swear, you will regret it asshole._

 

The ride to Hyejin’s apartment was quiet, everybody immersed in their own thoughts.  
Byulyi, for all the time, kept thinking about that boy and at the rage she felt toward him and his dumb smile.  
She was astonished to find herself possessive toward Hyejin, enough to want to punch that guy.  
Something inside her had decreed that Hyejin was hers, and that is wrong.  
Byulyi didn’t know what to think about it, they were dangerous minds.  
«Want to come up?» Hyejin asked with a smile, and now, they are all in her living room, sitting on the sofa.

«Hyejin, I’m sorry to ask this but…You live like this or…», Byulyi stares at the apartment, the whole hallway is filled with boxes and bags «are you moving out?».  
«Ah yes, yes…you don’t know it, you were away. My landlady decided to sell the apartment overnight, I have to leave by next week»  
«And where will you go?»  
«Nice question. I don’t know. I haven’t found a room yet, everything is far too expansive. And---oh, the coffee is ready», and Hyejin disappears in the small kitchen.  
Wheein chuckles while laying down on the couch «She is not even trying, all the houses are “too far away” from her workplace and she can’t settle for another area»  
«Why don’t you ask her to move in together?» Byulyi asks, unsure.  
«I can’t bear very well her one-night stands»  
«Oh»  
«Yes», Wheein laughs loudly, bitterly «Oh».  
«What?», Hyejin comes back with three hot cups of coffee, and a pair of curious eyes, «What are you talking about?»  
«About your disorganization, of course» Wheein replies without blinking an eye, «You are going to move in at my house, in the end, if you don’t hurry up»  
«Mpf, I will find something», Hyejin sits floppily on the floor «The problem is money, like always. Everybody asks first month's, last month's, and full deposit…also, I don’t really know how long I’ll be here in Korea, I can’t sign any contract too restrictive. What a mess»  
«You can move into my apartment» Byulyi finds herself saying, without even realizing it.  
Two sets of eyes fly to her and immediately she feels uncomfortable.  
_That sounded weird?_  
«I mean, I have an empty room and I’m happy to help you. It’s a big house», _and I live all alone here,_ «I'd never offered you a couch, _your highness_ ».  
Hyejin has a laugh at her new nickname, amused «I don’t really have high standards, I just need a comfortable bed»  
«That’s the spirit».  
Byulyi likes the thought of Hyejin in her house, under her watch, especially after today. Needless to say, it makes no sense, Hyejin has her life and her job and probably they will share just the kitchen sometimes, but Byulyi is still pleased about the idea.  
It’s her red cross mindset, it must be that; as alpha, the instinct to protect is rooted inside her and she cares a lot about the youngest, more than she wants to admit.  
Hyejin, off the stage, is kind and affectionate, and she deserves to be happy: nobody is going to hurt her if Byulyi can prevent it.  
Nobody, _especially not that guy._  
«I don’t think it’s a good idea», Wheein’s serious voice jolts Byulyi like an electroshock.  
«Hmm», Hyejin has a funny frowny face, «Maybe Wheein is right, you’re old unnie, I like to have fun»  
«Hey, I’m not old, you brat», _I’m not, right?_ «but please, no house party» she adds, just in case.  
«I’m not _that_ young»  
«Well, that good. Good. Sleepovers are also fine»  
«I assure you, if someone comes over, it will be not to get their hair done» Hyejin says with a grin.  
«No problem about it. There is more?»  
«I don’t think so. What about money?»  
«I’m not on rent, you don’t have to pay that. We can split up bills and stuff», _but I don’t really mind_.  
«Wow, seriously?» Byulyi nods, offering a smile; she still can sense Wheein’s gaze on her but, honestly, she is not doing anything wrong.  
She is just helping a friend.  
A friend.  
However, when Hyejin jumps on her, euphoric, and softly kisses her cheek, there is something _not really friendly_ that burns a fire in her belt.


	4. Fourth

It’s crazy how much you can find out about one person when you're living with it.  
Byulyi starts to notice things about Hyejin from the beginning of their coexistence, and she just enjoys finding new ones.  
First, Hyejin loves eating, but she has a strange relationship with food, probably because she tends to bloat: in the morning, she has breakfast with rice, soup, vegetable omelette and some leftovers; they can’t share breakfast ‘cause their schedules are different, but Hyejin always leaves delicious dishes on the table, for her. Byulyi finds herself happy about that.  
Second, Hyejin has terrible shifts, but she finds time to do chores once every two days; she doesn’t invade Byulyi privacy in any way, she cleans her room and the common spaces, with the earphones in her ears, singing aloud. Byulyi loves Hyejin’s voice.  
Third, Hyejin can be lazy, extremely lazy, she loves to sit on the couch at the end of the day, watching tv or the phone and do nothing. Byulyi, who usually arrives around 10 p.m. or shortly after, sits in the armchair and joins her with a book in her hands. They don’t necessarily have to talk, sometimes they find themselves enjoying their company in silence.  
The presence of the younger girl warms her heart, it really does; Byulyi did not realize how much she had felt lonely in her huge apartment until now.  
Bloody hell, Yongsun was right, she needs a special person in her life, she is starved for love; probably that’s why she feels attract to Hyejin and her little gestures.  
It all makes perfect sense.  
Fourth, Hyejin enjoys sex. Of course, she is young and beautiful, she probably can have everybody she wants.  
Byulyi noticed that Hyejin tends to avoid bringing people at home, but sometimes happens, usually on weekends after her show, just like in that exactly moment.  
Wheein didn’t lie, Hyejin has a thing for one-night stands: she doesn’t like inviting twice the same person, except for one boy, a beta boy, who wears strange hats and fat pants; Byulyi spotted him 3-4 times, half-naked, looking for the bathroom after sex, a dreamy expression on his face. She haven’t seen him in a while, though.  
So tonight, there is another young boy with Hyejin, with an unpleasant sweetish odour.  
Byulyi would like to sleep, but Hyejin does a lot of noise during sex and, even though the room is down the hall, she can hear every moan. She bought earplug for exactly these situations, but…  
An excitant sound spreads in the house, followed by a funny squeak. Surely they’re having fun.  
Byulyi absentmindedly tries to remember the last time she had sex, grabbing her phone to see the time. Probably six mouths ago or so.  
00:32  
It’s still early and tomorrow she doesn’t work, maybe she should change her clothes and pick someone up. But really, she is not up to it.  
She is not old-fashioned, she had a lot of fun during high school and clerkship, but now it’s not longer about fun, but rather to find the right person for…well, love.  
Shit, maybe she is getting old for real.  
Maybe her parents are right, she is taking the situation lightly.  
A soft laugh shakes her from that dangerous thought, she hears the bathroom door slam.  
Byulyi rolls over under the sheet, running down the contacts on her phone. Her finger shortly lingers on the profile of her last ex. She is married now, she has a bunch of kids and a caring wife; probably she is happy, be a mother was her big dream.  
Byulyi thinks back to when they broke up, when her ex-girlfriend had her bags packed and left because Byulyi was never at home, stuck at the office.  
_Thank you for everything, but I don’t think you love me like I do. Goodbye._  

  
And what changed?  
Nothing. She still works like crazy and focuses all her energies on useless businesses that increases only her bank account. She keeps avoiding the blind dates that her friends arrange for her, and the dating apps, like a stupid. Being alone is a choice and it's not the same as feeling lonely, but now she is starting to wonder if she is running away from people.  
It's time to give herself a chance.  
Byulyi stares at the screen in a trance, and finally opens a well-known chat.  
Things will not change if she doesn't try, aren’t they?

To: YeBa  
_“I surrender. Any pretty girl to introduce to me?”_  

«So, how was your date? She was pretty?»  
Byulyi looks up from her book, surprised; she is back at home a couple of hours ago, but Hyejin had her nose in some magazine and she didn’t pay any attention to her. But now, the girl is sitting on the couch, an empty cup between her hands, her small eyes focused only on her.  
«How did you know?»  
«It was pretty obvious, Unnie», Hyejin voice is amused, playfully; she carelessly puts down what's in her hands and climbs up on the arm of her armchair, coming closer. «You were all dressed up, you even wore heels» she adds.  
«Ah», it is all Byulyi manages to say.  
«So, was she pretty or not?»  
«She was», and really, Yongsun’s friend was really pretty. Cho-rong, 29 years old, fully qualified nurse, had showed up with a shy smile on the face and a pair of spectacular legs.  
They met at the little restaurant that Yongsun strongly recommended her for the first date around 6 pm, right after work.  
Cho-rong talked a lot after the first glass of wine, speaking about her family, dreams, work and aspirations for the future; Byulyi had listened, nodding sometimes, offering smiles and little else.  
Surely, Cho-rong had a kind nature, respectful and compliant, but Byulyi didn’t feel anything in particular, not “love connection” or things like that. She was very impressed by her stories about some patients under her care, but nothing more, and she barely talked.  
Cho-rong didn’t say anything about that, mistaking her little interest for reserved attitude. So, at the end of the date, they had agreed to meet again, maybe in the weekend.  
Byulyi wasn’t really convinced but, all things considered, Cho-rong was really nice and she would be foolish to give up after the first date.  
Cho-rong probably saw her as a kind alpha, who can offer her a nice life and maybe one or two children; Byulyi is healthy, good looking, with a stable job, things that matters the most in a typical – stereotypical - omega life.  
There was not love at first sight, but they could squeeze something good out of this.  
«We go out again this weekend» she says, and Hyejin is still wearing a smile, «She is good»  
«Then, this is serious! We have to celebrate! Can we open the soju?».  
Byulyi nods, feeling tired all of the sudden; she follows the younger girl with her eyes, without being able to not stare at her thighs, at her hips, covered by a thin layer of cloth.  
Hyejin’s curves are hot, her entire body is a work of art; Byulyi really can’t understand why the girl is always on a diet, so critical about her appearance.  
Hyejin’s body reminds her the sexy models in those magazines for horny teenagers, always photographed in bikini with their big tits and perfect butt.  
Although Hyejin is softer, definitely not vulgar, just sensual in her special way, Byulyi can feel the same youthful desire building inside her when she stares too long at her body.  
Who knows what her tan skin tastes like…  
«Unnie, here you go!»  
Byulyi stops thinking at the sound of Hyejin voice, accepting the small glass without meet the girl gaze. Shit, what the hell was she thinking? Hyejin is her friend, not some kind of hottie to jerk off on.  
She drinks the liquor fast, embarrassed by her shameful thoughts; god, she really need a girlfriend.  
«Wow, drink slowly or you will be sick» Hyejin scolds her, but her tone lacks reproach.  
«I can handle it» she says, but her throat is already burning like crazy.  
They stays in a comfortable silence for a while, Hyejin enjoying her glass of soju and Byulyi just having another shot. At last, alcohol relaxes her.  
«Can I ask you something?» she asks, and the younger girl just nods, pouring more soju with a happy face.  
«Why do you want to go away? In America, no less. We will going to miss you, especially Wheein, you know?»  
Hyejin smiles at her words, but her mouth is a very tight line and there is no beauty in that grimace. She puts her eyes down, to the glass, and takes a breath; she seems a bit drunk.  
«When I was young I never stopped singing», she says, her tone just a little nostalgic, «I was the nightmare neighbour, always too loud and too careless. My parents were always at work, or away, and my sisters never at home. There is no time for Hyejin, almost never. That time I promised myself that I was going to be a singer, actually the best singer in the town, so they will come to praise me. That's how it all started. Silly, hm? But now, I want to become a singer for myself and I have to try with all my heart. Can you understand me?»  
«But why America? You could sing here, in Seoul and…»  
«I don’t think so» she interrupts her, giggling «I’m too old, you know? 24 years old, never trained, unknown to everyone…no agency will take me. Plus, you can see the trend of the industry right now, yes? Sweet innocent slender omega girls. I don’t fit in it very well, you’ll agree. America is different, not necessarily better, just different»  
And Byulyi can’t disagree with her words, because basically Hyejin is right: America is really different, with idols always so extra and unique; also, age and biological status are not always taken on board.  
Hyejin is gifted, hot, flirty, she will match very well the american standards; still, the idea of the girl in the big America leaves an unexplained sense of grievance in her stomach.  
«You are brave» she says, swallowing the nausea away, offering a small smile.  
«I’m not. I’m just selfish and tenacious, maybe a bit crazy. But I wanna try. I have all the time in the future to come back with my tail between my legs. But if I can't sing… for me there is no future»  
«Don’t say things like that», she snatches the glass out of Hyejin’s hand with a fast movement, «You have a beautiful future ahead of you. And you are gonna do it, stupid girl. There are a lot of agencies out there, just looking for exactly you».  
The younger girl lifts the face, a grateful light in her eyes «Who knows, let’s hope that. There is a lot of competition there, too. I mean, they have Rihanna!»  
«Hm-Hm, you are better. I not really know this Rihanna but…»  
«You what?»  
«I’m not really in american music since high school, I’m sorry»  
«Ok, but how can you not know her? She is a goodness», Hyejin almost screams in her ears as she grabs her phone for showing her a picture of a very provocative woman «Here you are! Look at her!»  
«Sexy, indeed. A huge competition. Can you measure up to her?», Byulyi teases her, but as Hyejin crawls seductively toward her, she feels her mouth drying; when the younger girl sits between her legs, getting dangerously close to her face, Byulyi fears an heart attack.  
«Why? I’m not sexy enough?» Hyejin blows on her lips, putting the hands on Byulyi's shoulders, «I’m not good enough?».  
Not really sure how to respond to that, Byulyi just swallows hard: something inside her screams her to kiss the girl, to devour her beautiful lips, and it’s becoming difficult to resist.  
It’s obvious that Hyejin is playing with her, but she can’t really complaining about it, she can feel the heat radiating off Hyejin’s body, and the sweet perfume of the girl; Byulyi places her hands on Hyejin’s hips, almost unconsciously, waiting for a reaction.  
Hyejin doesn’t put herself away, actually she gets closer, her eyes narrowed; she seems aroused, seriously aroused, not in the mood for a game.  
There is sexual tension around them? Probably. If the girl is in the mood to have sex, Byulyi would totally agree with that, and fuck off everything else.  
Following the lust can be counterproductive, she thinks absentmindedly, but can also be unexpectedly beautiful; why deny the obvious? Byulyi wants it, she liked the girl from the second she walked into her life.  
«Unnie?» Hyejin calls her, with her gentle voice.  
«Yes?»  
«You stink»  
«Sorry, what?»  
«You stink!»  
«I don’t!»  
«You totally do», the girl touches her cheeks with the tip of her nose «take a shower before bed, ok?», and she leaves her there, getting up with agility, disappearing in her bedroom.  
Byulyi sniffs herself, but she can’t feel any strange smell from her.  
It was all a game, after all. And she walked right into it, like a stupid.  
God, she _really_ needs a girlfriend.

The second date was a disaster; the more Cho-rong talked, the more Byulyi realized they had nothing in common, even in the basic stuffs like “do you like more dogs or cats?”.  
So, when the other girl was expectant for another date but Byulyi didn’t say a thing, the omega said her goodbye in a detached way, an uncomfortable and humiliating moment for both.  
Probably Yongsun will scold her tomorrow, but now she just wants to drink a beer and watch a movie in peace, complaining about girls and love.  
She does the way to home a little distracted, humming a song of that Rihanna that Hyejin loves so much; the younger girl basically forced her to listen to some CDs and Byulyi has to admit that two or three songs were really good.  
When she gets to the neighbourhood she suddenly stops, house keys still in her pants, a delicious floral scent hits her like a slam.  
  
_Omega, unclaimed, far 750 meters as the crow flies, five flights of stairs away. In heat._  
  
She does a few steps forward, taking a deep breath; she trembles slightly, savoring the aroma.  
  
_Omega, unclaimed, far 400 meters as the crow flies, five flights of stairs away. In heat. In my apartment._  
  
Wait, what?  
  
Byulyi takes a second to think what to do in front of the entrance.  
Clearly Hyejin brought home an omega with a fantastic scent, in heat no less, but she really needs to change her clothes and shower; however, she would like to avoid the entire situation, she is not in the mood to listen Hyejin’s “moaning sex” show.  
She groans as she gets on the elevator, cursing the world. She just wants to have some time alone, it’s too much to ask?  
Apparently yes, because as soon as it comes into the house, her eyes meet with Wheein, no sign of Hyejin.  
«What’re you doing here?» Wheein asks to her, tense like a violin string.  
«It’s still my home, you know?» she replies, a bit annoyed «The question should be what are you doing you here?»  
The younger girl glances at Hyejin’s bedroom at her words, nervous.  
Clearly was Wheein the one who brought an omega in her house, probably a friend in trouble with his heat, judging by the scent strength.  
«You shouldn’t be here. Hyejin told me…»  
«Wheein, I'm not getting kicked you out from my apartment. I just have to shower and, I swear to God, I’ll be quick as a bunny. I’m not gonna touch your friend, don’t worry about it» she says, but when she takes a step to the bathroom, the girl walks toward her, her eyes filled with panic.  
Oh god.  
«My self-control works very well, Wheein» she tries again, «I never assaulted anyone, even less an omega in heat».  
«I know, just…»  
«No, you don’t know. We know each other only six months, but at last, you should know that I am not an omega predator. You should trust me. Can you just let m---», but any other word dies in her throat when she hears the squeaky bedroom door opening; a new wave of that intoxicating smell hits her like a thunder.  
When they finally make eye contact, the time freezes.  
Hyejin stares at her with little watery red-eyes, her unsteady body wrapped in a sheet; she looks as she might break at any moment.  
Byulyi’s heart skips a beat at the sight.  
The younger girl doesn’t say a word with her mouth, but all her needs slip through her eyes and body: she is all sweaty, quivering, compelled by her heat.  
_Heat._  
Hyejin is in heat.  
Heat.  
_Totally an omega heat._  
How?  
Byulyi swallows hard, suddenly aware of the dangers that she’s in; still, she can’t make a move. Half of her is just on fire, she is going to be crazy if she doesn’t touch Hyejin’s skin; her other half, however, keeps saying her that she must leave, now, before it’s too late.  
Unconsciously she clenches her fists, thrusting her “alpha half” deep inside her, with a great deal of trouble.  
She tries to break their glances, but something inside her cries at the thought.  
It's not supposed to be this difficult.  
Byulyi has met quite a number of omega in her life – she slept with quite a number of omegas in heat - but no one never made her feel like this way.  
She never considered herself a person without control; sure, she is an alpha, and yes, alphas have needs and instincts, as well as the other people, and she is not a beast, totally not a slave to her baser urges.  
But, apparently, her self-control is not so strong as she thought: she is trying to make peace with her brain, but her body doesn’t really hint at the possibility of run away from Hyejin.  
Fortunately, Wheein bails her out; she stands between her and Hyejin, looking at Byulyi’s eyes with anger, yelling silently at her "it’s all your fault”.  
«Get out of here» Wheein spells it out, «Get out of here, Unnie»  
And miraculously Byulyi does it: she picks up the strength to go away, blood rushing through her head as she runs far from that sweet scent, as far away as possible.  
When she manages to stop, she finds herself in front of Yongsun’s house, red-faced and sweaty. She hits the door with sharp knocks, gasping for breath like she is drowning or something, trying to beat back the image of Hyejin from her mind.  
Yonsung answers the door with a stern frown, ready to scold her probably, but Byulyi doesn’t give her time.  
«She is an omega» she splits it out with a higher voice «She is a bloody omega!»  
Her best friend doesn’t ask anything, doesn’t even speak a word, she grabs Byulyi wrist, dragging her inside the house, closing the door, letting the outside world fade away.


	5. Fifth

At first glance, Hyejin isn't the type of person who looks like an omega, probably because of all those dumb stereotypes. She’s perky, outspoken, with a very fiery nature. Thinking about old times, Hyejin can remember how shocked were her school friends to hear she was an omega, how Wheein was upset about it.    
Honestly she couldn’t give a shit; she was a little girl, not interested in sex or body genres yet: her mother was an omega, like her older sisters, what was the big deal?   
If only everything was easy like those days, probably she wouldn’t be stuck in that awful situation. Wheein was right, throw herself into an alpha house was an irresponsible thing to do, but god, she wanted to do it very badly. Byulyi was the first alpha that she makes her feel secure, comfortable since…  
Hyejin hears the sound of a key as it turns in the lock, and she stops thinking about everything, holding her breath; a familiar face crosses slowly the threshold, finding her without delay.

_No panic_

Byulyi hasn’t been home from her last heat, like five days ago, and it’s all ridiculous because it should be her that had to go away, but instead she is the one sitting on the couch comfortably in her pajamas.  
Hyejin wants to lower her gaze in shame, like when she was a kid and she disobeyed at her parents, but she feels the urge to explain everything to Byulyi: still, she can’t make up her mind and find the right words to start.    
«Hey» Byulyi’s voice is soft, gentle, and it breaks the uncomfortable silence in the room.   
«Hey»  
«Are you hungry? I bought dinner» she says, raising a McDonald’s bag.   
Hyejin automatically nods, following with her eyes Byulyi movements. To the untrained eye, Byulyi seems calm and self-assured, but Hyejin has spent a long time studying her and she can say that the woman is nervous as she is; probably she doesn’t know what to say. Well, neither do her.   
«We have to talk about it» Hyejin spits out, without taking her gaze off Byulyi «I owe you some answers»  
The woman puts the hamburgers on plates, and stops her moves. She seems to think very carefully about something, but then she shakes her head, a timid smile on her face.  
«You owe me nothing» she declares, sitting at the dining table, «It’s your right to hide your…»  
«Stop it», Hyejin makes a fist so tight that she dig her long nails into her palm «Don’t be so understanding. It was my fault. We are friends, we live together, I…should have told you. I’m sorry»  
«Why didn't you do it, then?», Byulyi doesn’t look angry, just…very serious. Hyejin feels the urge to get out of the room, but she doesn’t; Byulyi doesn’t deserve it.   
She gets up, collecting her thoughts, abandoning her anxiety behind or, at least, trying.   
«At first it didn't seem that important», she starts, sitting in front of Byulyi, throwing her eyes all over the food; she is not really hungry though «Don't get me wrong, I know I should've told you... but that's just not the easiest thing to tell when everyone thinks you're an alpha. I take suppressants since high school and sometimes I almost forget that I'm an omega. But then…around one year ago, suppressants started not to work. I had sorted my issue just before I moved here and I didn’t think that…I…you know…»  
«You were going to heat?», Byulyi ends for her.  
«Yes, that. Being an omega…It didn’t mean anything, that’s all»  
Byulyi doesn’t reply, she just takes a bit of her cheeseburger, and Hyejin just adapts herself to that weird mood; they never fought and she can’t figure out what to do. Clearly, that’s not all ok, but what is done is done.   
«Do you want me to leave? I can move my things to--»  
«What? No!», Byulyi holds her in her gaze, brow furrowed, she looks like a hamster, «There is no problem about you being an omega. I just got to get used to it»  
«Actually there is a problem», Hyejin is grateful that her voice isn’t shaking but her entire body is in a vise, «My heat is…not under control at the moment, not really. You saw it yourself», and the memory of herself in the corridor, body filled with desire, crosses her mind; she feels her cheeks going hot.  
«You get nothing?»  
«I changed brand and dose, but my gynecologist said to go forward by trials and errors. So… it could happen, I could go in heat, and it could become problematic because…»

_Because you’re an alpha and I’m an omega._

«I understand», the sound of Byulyi voice is lower, thoughtful «We can think of something. Can you recognize the symptoms of your upcoming heat, no? When you feel like your heat is coming, let me know»  
«Oh, alright», but the entire situation is not really “alright”, in fact the opposite: everything is kind of new and scary for Hyejin; she hasn't had much experience with her heat, but of course, Byulyi can’t know that. She feels stupid to voice her doubt and uncertainty, she is an adult and she should know her body but…she is not really sure about it. She feels her stomach closing definitively, a mild anxiety in her heart.   
«I got no problem to sleep outside for a couple of days, don’t worry» Byulyi says, winking.

_Of course she doesn’t mind. She has a woman now,_ her brain tells her maliciously.

The memory of the smell of that woman on Byulyi hits her in the face, but she remains silent; it’s not her business and, anyway, she is not in a position to ask about that bitch.   
«I…I can also go to Wheein», her voice gets all croaky and she swallows nervously, arranging her hair to hide her discomfort, «I don’t want to make you get out from your house»  
«I will feel more secure with you here» Byulyi says, stressing a little the word “here” with authority; the younger girl finds herself nodding, full-on staring at her cold hamburger.   
«Sure it’s weird», the atmosphere is changing already, it’s more relaxed but also more confidential, «Why your suppressants suddenly stopped working?»  
«Ah, it’s not weird, I've been through times like this before. My body is a little resistant to progestogen, or something like that. I just have to find a new pill and everything will be alright. When I was a teenager I…I…», but her words fail, waning.   
«What exactly happened?» Byulyi asks firmly, but Hyejin doesn’t know how to articulate an exhaustive description about that specific episode without sounding pathetic.   
That day was just… the scariest moment of her entire life.

She was seventeen, a very busy time for a common teenager, let alone for her: she was completely absorbed with her auditions, her finals, and her job, because the dream to become an idol was expansive and she needed money. Plus, she had a boyfriend, her first serious boyfriend, a pretty boy with violent tendencies: Kyung. He was a rebel, a gang leader, but most of the time he treated her nice.   
However, there were times when Kyung was very possessive of her, in his own way. He was an alpha, and Hyejin said to herself that maybe his behavior was justifiable by that.  
He said to love her in hot nice dresses, but sometimes, depending on his mood, Kyung called her slut because someone stared at her breasts or worse.  
He said to love her fiery nature but, out of nowhere, he accused her of being a bad omega, too flirty and outgoing. Sometimes Kyung could be so cruel and, immediately after, he was sweet like cotton candy.   
He said…he said a lot of things, but Hyejin was into him very bad, and she kept ignoring Wheein’s warnings and, even worst, she overlooked the small voice inside her that repeated that something was wrong with him. 

_He doesn't treat you right!  
He was just nervous,Wheein._

__

_He thinks he can treat you how he wants! This isn’t you, Hyejin!  
You know nothing, shut up!_

_>_

Until that day.   
She was in Kyung’s apartment all alone, and that was really nothing new: she missed the last bus and winter nights in Jeonju were dark and cold; however she felt like she was burning, her palms all sweaty and unsteady.   
Something was wrong inside her, but she couldn't put a name on it; it’d been so naïve of her, but she hadn’t felt the pre-heat since she was 14 years old. So, she went to bed early, even though she couldn’t get some sleep after got an aspirin.   
Around 5 in the morning Hyejin was still awake, and there was no sign of Kyung yet; every muscle in her body was tense, and only when she moved on her side she noticed that her panties were soaking wet. She had stuck a hand down her pants, moaning at the touch. And finally, she came to understand the reality of the situation.   
About the same time, the door opened up, and a very drunk Kyung entered with the force of a hurricane. And she panicked.  
For the first time ever, she was scared of what may come. She realized that she wanted to have sex, of course, she wanted, but also she understood that she couldn’t mate with Kyung for life; however if he tried to do it, she wouldn't be able to stop him.  
«You are here, then!», he laughed too loud, in a very annoying way, but his hands were already on her chest, «I want to fuck»  
And they had sex.   
Thankfully, Kyung didn’t go into rut because of her; thankfully, he was too drunk and high to notice everything, ever her scent.   
Hyejin still doesn’t know if it was because her heat was still at the beginning or because Kyung was far too drunk to notice her condition, but nothing unfortunate happened that morning.  
Still, she can clearly remember the feeling of helplessness, of weakness, that she felt that day.   
She had spread her legs like a whore, protecting all the time her neck with her hands, praying for that to be over but, at the same time, to go on forever and ever, because her body craved Kyung’s touch.   
It has been terrifying.   
She doesn't want to feel that kind of feeling anymore, but her suppressants are not cooperating with her wish. 

«Nothing, I was in heat for a couple of days. I changed pills and everything was solved», she says, aware that she took too long to answer «It's just I'd like to avoid this entire situation. Going into heat means you want to get fucked by any alpha available. It’s gross and disgusting and…»  
«It’s not always true!» Byulyi speaks quite suddenly «It can be beautiful. I mean, I shared the bed with some omegas in heat and…it was nice. You can control your action and feel pleasure in your heat»  
Hyejin doesn’t reply, she just stares at the woman calmly, trying to figure how to explain her doubts. Byulyi is not an omega, she can’t understand her feelings and, probably, her trauma.      
«Obviously it’s not a proposition!» Byulyi adds, blushing, misinterpreting her silence, «I don’t see you like that!»  
_Obviously not._  
«Still, I prefer to be lucid when I sleep with someone. I don’t want to find myself tied to someone because of my stupid heat»  
The woman nods, without commenting on.   
They finish dinner slowly, chatting about this and that, avoiding the alpha-omega issue for the rest of the night.  
«We are good now, yes?» Hyejin asks quietly when she does the washing up.   
Byulyi just smiles.

 

That night Hyejin doesn’t sleep but keeps thinking about the conversation with Byulyi.  
She feels guilty.   
She didn’t lie about her condition, but she has omitted something.   
Something big.  
But none of that matters, because Byulyi doesn’t see her “like that”.  
_They are just friends._    
She closed her eyes, fingers on the button of her sleep pants.  
_Just friends_  
Hyejin’s body doesn’t think so. 

 

In the end, her second heat comes three weeks later. As agreed, she texted Byulyi and, just in case, she seals herself in her room, leaving the windows wide open.   
She is getting hot very slowly, but it is already uncomfortable. She is almost tempting to take a retardant, but she gets cold feet.

_Sooner it starts sooner it's over_

Already exhausted, she lies on her back, hands between her legs. She knows what she's in, and she knows that masturbating is not gonna satisfy her, but at last, it will help her a little; she takes off her pants and underwear, shivering involuntarily as the cold hit her wetness.   
Immediately she thinks about a specific pair of beautiful hands, her lips parted to moan; Byulyi hands are made for the piano, it’s probably the first thing that Hyejin thought when they first met.   
Byulyi’s hands are long, tapered, bordering the perfection.   
«Oh god» she gasps as she thrusts two fingers inside her. How Byulyi would do it? A bit faster or slower?   
Maybe slower, the older woman would kiss her passionately, asking her to undress for her. Hyejin chews on her lower lip, spreading her legs, moving faster.    
Too bad that the fingers inside her do not belong to Byulyi, too bad that Byulyi has a girlfriend now. Maybe if she had just been honest with her sooner...

_I don’t see you like that_

The orgasm that follows is bitter but still liberating. Sadly, it’s not even enough.   
Whimpering, she curls himself into a ball, trying to calm down, Byulyi’s words still echoing in her head, she can't stop thinking about their discussion.

_I don’t see you like that_  
_It can be beautiful_  
_Why your suppressants suddenly stopped working?_

«Because of you» she says out aloud, almost desperate, «Because my body reacts to you. Because I have a crush on you. Because…»

The doorbell rings with a very annoying sound.  
Hyejin ignores it, going back between her legs. She is ready to do it again, maybe this time more slowly, in the way that her idea of Byulyi would do it.  
**Knock knock.**  
This time, someone is knocking straight to the door, as a matter of urgency.  
«Go away» she whispers for nothing; her head feels heavy and everything is too loud and blurry. However, whoever it is it's not going to let her alone.  
**Knock knock knock knock.**  
What if there's an emergency? What if something's really wrong with Byulyi? Maybe it’s the police and…  
Against all logical reason, she goes to answer the door, feeling faint and dizzy at every step of the way.   
She puts the key in the lock with difficulty, opening the door; the door chain prevents her from directly meeting the person on the landing, but still, she freezes at the sight of the man.   
«Cat got your tongue?»    
Kyung is not really changed; he still wears his hair long and his features are immaculate: to Hyejin, he seems the same guy as before.   
She caught a glimpse of him at the pub months ago but he didn't approach her or staked her in any way; she had hoped that the meeting had been an awful coincidence, and that probably Kyung didn’t even recognize her.   
She was wrong.   
_So wrong._    
«What are you doing here? How…», but her words die as Kyung prevents the closing of a door by using his shoe as a wedge to keep the door open.  
«Open the door. You smell sweet»  
«Go away»  
Her voice is shaking, like her body; she doesn't look non-threatening or able to protect herself, but she has to do something before it's too late. She tries to push the door again, but Kyung doesn't even seem to notice it.   
«I took me a while to find you», he is too strong and Hyejin can’t move from her position, «ever since I saw you at the pub, I've been watching you, you know? You turned out beautiful, Hyejin»  
«Go away» she repeats, but Kyung scoffs, looking for her eyes.   
«Why? You need someone to take care of you. I can smell it»  
She doesn’t reply, but the panic keeps growing inside her. She stares at his hands as they start to cling to the door; they are cut-up and callused, so different from Byulyi, less delicate and careful.   
«Please, go away» she suddenly finds herself to beg, exhausted.  
Her body is starting to surrender, the proximity to the alpha provokes strange reactions inside her body.  She is feeling dizzy, like her heart is about to explode. She wants to please him, she craves his control. She needs release, some comfort just…a little. If Byulyi won't give it to her, Kyung certainly will, Hyejin can clearly smell his arousal.   
«Open the door Hyejin» he orders, harshly this time, like he's lost his patience, like he knew her thoughts.   
_It never ends well when Kyung gets irritated_ , she barely thinks, laying a hand on the doorknob, _It’s not gonna end well anyway. He is not her._    
The image of the blonde woman crosses her mind, remind her that she is just a prey here; Kyung wants her just to spite her, probably and, god, she is not seventeen anymore.   
As if she is in a trance she removes her grip to on the doorknob, freaking like crazy.    
_What the hell am I doing?_  
«Go away!» 

It happens in an instant. The door chain is ripped off the jamb in front of her, the jingle jangle of the metal that fall reaches her ears in slow motion. The mighty figure of Kyung approaches her too fast and it scares her; Hyejin notices with horror that she is trapped.  
The instinct is to escape, but immediately one hand around her wrist blocks her.  
«You never do what you’re told», Kyung’s voice is furious and mean, and his grip is painful «But don’t worry, you’ll learn your role»  
He pushes her on the floor roughly, standing above her like a fury. Despite all his rude attitudes, Kyung's never done her harm those days, but now...  
Now, she is already in pain.   
Hyejin stiffens, holding her breath, praying that a neighbor, a friend, anyone, help her.   
And someone, actually, answers to her prayer.   
The body of Kyung gets kicked across the room, away from her, violently.  
At first, Hyejin doesn't even realize it, she thinks of some kind of dream, but then, the figure of Byulyi, her smell, are all that Hyejin can concentrate.   
Byulyi is the one who’s fighting against Kyung, she is the one who’s hitting the man without mercy, blinded by rage.  
Her face, her beautiful face, is an angry mask: her eyes are wide open and her mouth is closing and opening, screaming something toward Kyung, but the younger girl doesn’t hear anything. Everything is just confused and painful.  
Crystallized tears in her eyes, her entire body tightens up more, and Hyejin knows exactly the moment she re-starts breathing. It is right around the same time that everything turns into darkness.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry, it's been a month?  
> Ahah, the university is killing me and this chapter has been particularly complicated. I'm not really satisfied with it though, but you waited long enough.  
> Anyway, I already wrote the next chapter (it's time for sex, finally *wink*) and, probably, it will come out soon!  
> Thank you for the subscriptions and comments, I'm touched! 


	6. Sixth

When she finally had the strength to open her eyes again, Hyejin finds herself in the bed, under the blankets even though she is burning up, with a cold cloth on her head.  
She looks around, trying to remember the last hours, her right arm’s a little sore. There is a bruise around her wrist.

Oh, _yes._

  
Kyung attacked her like a beast, knocked her down. That could have ended up very bad if…if Byulyi hadn't shown up.  
_Byulyi_ _._  
Byulyi defended her, showing her rage and strength, kicking Kyung out in no time, her face transfigured into a deep berserk rage.  
A shiver of excitement sweeps her without any control, her omega instinct rejoices at the thought.   
_Her alpha chose her._  
No. No. Nobody chose her, Byulyi merely helped her. Yes. That’s all.  
Byulyi doesn’t see her “like that”.  
Hyejin takes a deep breath, trying to calm down, but the act causes the very opposite effect. There is a delicious smell in the room that makes her feel woozy.  
How could she not notice it before? How…  
She swallows hard, pushing back the covers. It’s Byulyi, this dizzy scent belongs to…  
She feels like she is under a spell while drags her body to the living room. She doesn’t know, but she does somehow, it’s Byulyi’s scent. And it’s really different than usual.  
Byulyi is in _rut_ _._  
Byulyi is going into rut _because of her_.  
Legs almost collapse beneath her at the thought, but at last, she can reach the other room; Byulyi doesn’t seem surprised or angry to see her, but she is very tense.  
She is sitting on the table, her face still and rigid, there is a book between her beautiful piano hands. Her eyes are dark, filled with something that looks very much like lust; Hyejin simply can’t look away.

«I shouldn’t be here», Byulyi says, in distress, after a few seconds of silence.  
Hyejin can see the self-control of the world in Byulyi’s words. The older girl can’t leave her, because her alpha instinct obliges her to stay there and protect her, but she can’t make a move, because Byulyi doesn’t want to forcibly subdue her. Byulyi chose her, but she is not going to force her to mate.  
Her heart melts, at that realization.

«I shouldn’t be here» Byulyi repeats, a little shaky this time, «I’ll lock myself into my room, and you will do the same. Your heat will be over in 3-4 days, tomorrow I’m going to call Wheein and she will stay here, with you».  
Hyejin takes a step forward, without offering a reply in return. The floor is freezing under her bare feet.  
Being in heat is strange, all the senses are heightened and especially susceptible to hot and cold; it’s like having a fever, without feeling nauseous or worst. There is a pain though, a pain that stirs the whole body with the blind desire to be taken until passing out. It’s the worst and the best feeling in the world.  
Hyejin is always been terrified of that feeling, but she doesn’t feel any fear at that moment. No, there is a fabulous feeling of joy that explodes inside her.  
Byulyi chose her, whether she is aware of it or not, and Hyejin decides to choose her now, forever, before the pleasure will annihilate her mind.  
She has goosebump when she stops in front of Byulyi, full of hope.   
«Why don’t you help me? Now?» she asks, biting her lower lip.  
The taller girl doesn’t dare to move, not even when Hyejin touches her cheek smoothly.  
If Byulyi refuses to accept her now, she _surely_ will die.  
«You don’t want this», Byulyi says, turning the head away to avoid her gaze, «You told me, remember? It’s your heat that speaks, not you»  
«You’re wrong», Hyejin replies rises up on her tiptoes, grabbing desperately Byulyi’s shoulders for a handhold, she doesn’t trust her legs «It’s me»  
Byulyi fails to hide the glance up her naked legs, and Hyejin looks down at them as if they weren’t hers.  
«I can’t believe you. You don’t want to surrender to anyone, remember?» Byulyi speaks aloud, but suddenly she can sense Byulyi’s hands on her hips. Probably they are there to get her away, but the older girl looks like she is fighting against herself, in a cruel war, after touching her.  
«Not to _anyone_ », Hyejin whispers, burying her face against Byulyi’s neck, inhaling her intoxicating scent «Only to _you_ »  
There is an anxious calm before the storm but Byulyi finally, _finally,_ loses it; she has a little spasm as grabs Hyejin’s neck for meeting her eyes, for capturing her lips.   
They kiss feverishly, ruthlessly, sucking their tongues without mercy. There is no fight, Byulyi has in control at the moment when their lips met, it’s just a furious tongues dance.  
Hyejin closes her eyes, and her tears of joy never go down; she wants to cry for the unexpected happiness that she feels. Byulyi accepted her.  
She is complete, now.

 

They miraculously reached the bedroom; Byulyi fought against her urge to jump on Hyejin, roll her over and just fuck her on the table.  
It’s their first time, she wants to touch her with love, kindness, respect; Byulyi wants Hyejin to feel protected in her embrace.  
They stop devouring each other's lips in front of the bed, panting loudly. Byulyi manages to turn on the light, caressing Hyejin’s body with her eyes; she just cannot look at that damn bruise on Hyejin’s wrist, it makes her feel powerless, it reminds her the anger and the fear felt just hours ago when that bastard was assaulting her beloved girl.  
Trembling with rage, she holds tightly Hyejin in her arms, trying to calm herself.  
«Byulyi?», but she just sighs in response, grabbing slowly the girl wrist, locking eyes with her. She feels Hyejin stiffens up under the touch, but she doesn’t stop.  
«It’s ok, now» she says, instead, kissing the purple of the bruise, blocking out the memory, the rage, letting it go away; she must say it now, now or never «It’s ok. I won’t let anyone hurt you, never. I promise you, I will always be here. I will get you anything you need. Forever» and she really means it.  
Part of Byulyi feels like she finally got it together: she was too stupid and blind to understand her own feeling, and she kept walking away from happiness, like a fool, for months now.  
Love scares Byulyi, a lot more than she thought, because in her life love meant a lot of awful things, like rejection or betrayal, but now she can recognize that foolish feeling, the love she feels toward Hyejin, and she only wants to smile. She is too old to be playing the innocent teenager, maybe?  
In front of her, Heyjin seems more fragile than ever: her hand is shaking and there are tears falling on her cheeks, on the ground.  How can someone want to hurt her? Byulyi just wishes to rock Hyejin into her embrace, protecting her forever from anyone.

«Love me» Hyejin whispers between the sobs, and Byulyi can feel distinctively her heart skipping a beat, «Love me forever»

She steps forward and leaves a sweet kiss on Hyejin’s forehead, closing her eyes to savor the moment; she'd like to freeze this instant in time forever, but Hyejin is burning up under her lips, shivering like crazy now, probably because of her heat; she is also starting to lose it, she can feel the alpha inside her rising, eager to mark her omega.  
_Her_ omega, _hers and hers_ alone.  
«I'm going to give you all the love you could ever want» she says, running her hands down over Hyejin’s hips, grabbing her ass tightly «Do you trust me?», and the younger girl nods, parting her moist lips for another kiss.  
The following seconds are confused, feverish; they kiss again, groping each other, looking for more.  
Byulyi fulfills her desire to finally undress the girl, taking off Hyejin’s shirt, throwing it away; the red bra meets the same fate, but her hands linger when arrive at the waistband of the panties. Instead of pulling it down, her right hand slides between Hyejin’s thighs, touching her pussy through the fabric, feeling her wetness. Hyejin presses quickly her legs together, trapping her hand, grinding herself into it; in her black eyes, there is a passion that excites Byulyi beyond her control.  
She doesn’t free herself, but let her fingers rub hard against Hyejin’s folds through the material, watching the girl spreading her legs apart again, looking for a deeper touch.

«Good girl» Byulyi coos, sliding into her panties for pampering her opening with curt caresses. The younger girl lets out a choked moan, melting under the pleasure of her fingers; she is the most beautiful creature Byulyi’d ever seen.

She urgently pushes Hyejin onto the bed, trapping the girl between her body and the mattress, letting her eyes trail possessively over that hotness.  
Hyejin doesn't struggle or scream under her weight, she just stares at her with the eyes filled with an unsatisfied longing.  
Byulyi grins, approaching the younger girl chest with her fingertips, caressing the softness of her breasts, the firmness of her turgid nipples. She leaves a trail of wet kisses along Heyjin’s jaw, along her still unmarked neck.  
Hyejin’s skin tastes delicious, but her scent…shit, her omega natural scent is _intoxicant_.  
«Jesus, you smell like heaven» she pants, putting her knee between Hyejin legs, against her groin. The roughness of her jeans meets the fabric of the underwear, still anchored to Hyejin hips, completely soaked.

«Do you want me to undress?» she gently asks, and Hyejin nods vigorously, extending her arms for helping her.  
«No no» she denies her, unbuttoning the top button of her shirt, «Be a good girl and stay still»

Lying on the bed naked, Hyejin trembles of dissatisfaction, but she is not able to defy her orders, of course she is not; still, Byulyi can see a glimpse of resistance deep in her eyes. She likes it, she really likes it: clearly, the girl is not used to this kind of role, her omega role, but her needs are threating her and she can’t win against the heat, the lust, her alpha.  
She will submit to her, and she will like it. Byulyi’s body aches with unsatisfied want at the idea.  
She quickly finishes to take off her clothes and presses her whole naked body against the younger girl, returning to tease Heyjin’s neck with wet kisses; a strangled moan echoes in the stillness of the room and Byulyi lays her hand down, between that warm thighs.

«I want to hear you scream», she says, slipping Hyejin’s underwear down her legs for touch her again, «I’m going to make love to you so good and long you'll be begging me to stop and keep going at the same time»

The girl purrs again to her words and arches her back, looking for more.

«You’re so wet», Byulyi hums approvingly, rubbing her thumb against Hyejin’s clit.  
«Please», Hyejin prays, shutting her eyes «Please»  
«Open your eyes», she firmly orders, stopping her movement without mercy «Look at me»  
Hyejin whimpers, opening her blurry eyes, hesitant. Her dark eyes are filled with desire, and embarrassment, and excitement, all mixed together.  
Her naked body is trembling, in anticipation, shaken by her heat, helpless. She can’t wait anymore.  
Byulyi brushes her soaked finger against Hyejin’s lips, slightly forcing it inside her mouth; Hyejin sucks it immediately, fighting hard the instinct to shut her eyes again.  
«You are mine» Byulyi says, slowly, enjoying every emotion that quickly flows in Hyejin’s eyes «Understood?»  
She removes her finger, leaning down to kiss her, sucking her lips hard; she looks closely at Hyejin, who cried out when she hits the sweet spot between her legs with her knee, hungrily.  
«You are mine», she repeats, going for Hyejin’s neck with a clear purpose «only mine»  
«Y…yes I am», Hyejin moans, in response, exposing her neck to the side for giving her better access, like a good omega.  
«I wasn’t asking», and the younger girl screams when Byulyi finally bites her.  
They can smell their scent blending together, claiming their new status; they are mated now, they belong to each other.  
Byulyi is euphoric and can’t help to fall in love with Hyejin again; the girl chose her to be her alpha, she is hers and nobody will dare touch her anymore.

**Nobody.**

She continues to assault her neck, leaving bruises and hickeys, and then licking them gently. Hyejin quivers furiously against her, calling her name, trapped between her body and the bed, so eager to be taken.  
A guttural growl escapes Byulyi’s lips.  
«Do you want me to fuck you?» she asks raspily, moving slowly toward the throbbing bundle of nerves begging to be stroked «Tell me what you want, love»  
«Please»  
«“Please” what?», Byulyi breathes hotly over Heyjin's hips, opening those beautiful thighs apart even more with her hands.  
«Please fuck me», and Byulyi groans, approvingly. She leaves a trail of wet kisses to Hyejin’s crotch, running a finger between her folds as a reward. The younger girl sobs, gripping the sheet tightly, moving toward her hand.  
«You are such a good girl», Byulyi feels herself get wet, her omega is so _obedient_ , «so docile and compliant, right?».  
Hyejin releases another sigh at her words, a loud sigh full of needs.  
Byulyi smiles and finally plunges a finger into Hyejin, fucking her gently, appreciating the squeaks of pleasure which reach her ears.  
She is taking things slowly, enjoying the feeling to be inside her; she is loving how the girl is accepting her finger, contracting around it, Hyejin is so slippery, so ready for her.  
The rhythm of her hand is deliberately not satisfying, too limp. It’s a sweet torture; the younger girl doesn’t complain with words, but she moans needy, calling Byulyi name again and again, a plea on her lips.  
«You’re doing well» Byulyi murmurs, kissing her groin, «be patient», but clearly Hyejin can’t be patient anymore; she is wrinkling up like crazy, muttering indistinctly now.  
«Impatient type?»  
«Please, please, I need…I need you» Hyejin prays with a sigh. She needs to come, she is going insane; she is burning alive and her alpha touches are too slow.  
«You need me» the older girl repeats, grinning from ear to ear, showing her teeth «Only me»  
«Only you» Hyejin confirms again, and Byulyi has to be very pleased by her reply, because she finally adds two more another fingers, moving them deeper, increasing the rhythm of her thrusts.  
«Only me», she hums, her expression darker with lust and something that resembles very much like pride.

Yes, pride, because Byulyi couldn't be prouder of herself at that moment. Hyejin is a mess, a panting mess, who just can’t stay still; she raises her hips eagerly to meet her thrusts, lost in her pleasure.

_She is adorable._

Byulyi closes her eyes, going down on the knees, reaching with her mouth Hyejin’s wetness. She starts licking greedy, hard, flicking her clit with the tongue, with her fingers still buried deep inside Hyejin; the flavor is addictive, it’s completely different from any other taste, Byulyi just wants be stuck there till the end of her days.  
She can feel the younger girl whimpers in daze under her strokes, searching for climax; and Byulyi wants to give it to her, wants to give her the best damn orgasm of her whole life.  
She curls her fingers once more, suddenly, before kissing her clit with more pressure.  
Hyejin is completely out of control when she comes unceremoniously on Byulyi’s face, screaming her name.  
«You taste good, love» Byulyi giggles, pulling back for look up to her beautiful omega; she licks her lips, savoring that unique juice and grins again, seraphic, «but you are so naughty. You came without telling me».  
At her words, Hyejin sits up like she was struck by lightning, widening her eyes with panic «I’m…I’m sorry, I--»  
«I’m not angry» Byulyi reassures her, forcing her down again with a smile, «But that's not really enough, is it?»  
Hyejin shakes furiously her head, and Byulyi feels pleased with herself, pleased for having such a beautiful creature at her mercy; it makes her want to tease her a bit more.  
She cups Hyejin soft breasts in her hands, lifting them softly for a moment, but her hands go back down quickly, greedy, touching again Hyejin; a gasp runs away from the girl's lips, still overly sensitive. However, Byulyi can’t wait anymore.  
«I want you to spread nicely for me baby girl» she whispers with a husky tone, annihilated by her lust «I want to take you, no, I _need_ to take you» and Hyejin shivers, following her request without delay.  
«What a good girl you are» Byulyi praises her, kissing her tenderly on the lips, on the forehead, at the base of the skull.  
She carefully crouches over her girl, locking Hyejin in a tight embrace, holding her closer, closer enough for their wetness to touch.  
They moan in unison; Hyejin load and acute, Byulyi low and hoarse.

_Oh fuck._

How long since she felt this overwhelming sensation?   
Byulyi couldn't say.  
But, for the first time in a very long time, she's insanely happy.  
Jointing their lips in a possessive kiss, she begins to roll her hips back and forth, rubbing their wetness together. Beneath her, Hyejin body is hot, and unexpectedly relaxed.  
«You are perfect to me, you know?» she whispers on Hyejin lips, her fingers anchoring the girl's hips down, grinding harder into the girl. Hyejin moans loudly, doing her best to meet her movements, looking for their climax.  
«You are perfect»  
When they finally cum, together, Byulyi closes her eyes and holds tight the girl under her, leaning her forehead on Hyejin’s shoulder.  
As far as she's concerned now, the entire world can disappear and fuck off.  
She doesn't need anyone else, anything else, Byulyi just wants to lie here forever, with the girl who loves between her arms.   
«Too perfect» she exhales, a little woozy, pulling herself a little 'up to meet Hyejin eyes.  
Hyejin is smiling, soft and satisfied, and Byulyi feels an infinite tenderness spreading inside her at the thought that she can have this forever, in the future.  
She returns the smile, trying to move away for free the girl from her weight, but in response at her movements, Hyejin locks her legs around Byulyi’s hips, stopping her.  
The smile is still there, on Hyejin face, but the girl is licking her lips slowly, in a very seductive way.  
Byulyi swallows, feeling her body tremble again, in her overwhelming desire to take her again.

They are not done. _  
Nowhere close to done._


	7. Seventh

The city is calm when Byulyi opens her eyes.  
It's early morning or, technically, it's still night: it's dark and quiet outside. The dim light of the moon illuminates the room, and the body of the sleeping beauty lying on her side.  
Byulyi is still tired, her body is a little sore, but she is not currently sleepy.  
They had sex non-stopping in the past few days: say that they have christening every corner of the house is a euphemism, however, that's how _heat_ works. _Lust and desire,_ they say. And _love_ , she likes to add.  
Byulyi hasn’t experienced heat in years, and she didn’t remember it as something so terribly beautiful and intense; probably Hyejin is more exhausted that she is, curled up under the blankets like a baby.  
They had eaten little and slept even less those days, craving each other presence and touch all the time.  
A genuine smile appears on her face at the thought.  
Finding Hyejin next to her, soundly asleep, makes her happy.  
How shall she bear so much happiness?  
Her fingertips caress Hyejin’s neck, searching gently the mark of her teeth; the younger girl moans at the contact, but does not open her eyes. Byulyi gets closer, embracing gently Hyejin, taking care to not wake up her.  
The room still smells of sex, and the sheets are a total mess, but the heat is finally over: Hyejin's scent has already changed, it's less sweet and bewitching; obviously it's still exquisite, deliciously inviting, but that probably will never change.  
She would like to get up and go for a shower, but the thought that Hyejin could wake up and don’t find her there blocks her. She does not want to make feel her omega abandoned or, even worse, rejected.  
So, she waits. And she thinks.  
She can't wait to tell the world about them; she feels like a lovesick teenager, and the only thing that blocks her from calling Yongsun and telling her everything it’s just the time. Yongsun will be very happy for her, having a good time saying her "I told you".  
Her parents will also get carried away, asking for a date for a wedding probably.

_Weddin_ _g._

She gets goosebumps just thinking it.  
How long she and Hyejin have known each other? Surely too little for talking about marriage, but she can't deny how the idea excites her. She is prepared to spend the rest of her life loving the girl she's hugging, and maybe it’s crazy. Or maybe not. She feels like she has found the right person, after all. Plus, Hyejin in a wedding dress will be totally beautiful; Byulyi can almost imagine it, in a white traditional dress, in a little church somewhere. It’s a vision of loveliness.  
It's her name, or better, the voice of the girl into her arms that calls her name, that wakes her up from that sweet fantasy.  
Byulyi lets the girl basks in her embrace, to turn towards her. Hyejin’s eyes are wide open and almost shine brighter into the dark.  
«Hey» Byulyi whispers, smiling.  
«Hey»  
«How are you feeling?»  
«A little tired, and achy, but okay» Hyejin replies, chewing on her lower lip; Byulyi gently caresses her cheek, hoping to reassure the girl a little. She notes that Hyejin is still a bit warm and sweaty; effects of the post-heat.  
«What is it?», she asks, in the most tender way possible, without moving an inch.  
It's the first time after four days that they enveloping into each other embrace completely free of libido: no more hormones and no more urge to have sex.   
Not an alpha and an omega.  
It's just them, now.  
«The heat is over», Hyejin’s voice is small; she seems very insecure and fragile, «I…I…You…You are still here»  
«Where else would I be?», she finds herself to reply, confused.  
That’s, probably, the wrong thing to say, because Hyejin starts to shiver against her, sobbing in a very short time. Byulyi holds her, not exactly knowing what to do.  
That isn’t the awakening as she guessed it would be.  
They stay like this for a while, Byulyi’s hand starts to stroke Hyejin’s hair, in an attempt to calm the girl.  
«Hey, talk to me», Byulyi says, searching the girl’s eyes, «pretty please?»  
«You are still here», Hyejin doesn't stop crying while she speaks, «I thought you left me. I…You…»  
«Hyejin, please, please, calm down. We mated. Do you remember?»  
Byulyi is a little unsure of what to do, or what to say. Hyejin seems confused, and desperate and Byulyi can't see her like that.  
«Of course I remember! But you…you broke it. The bond…you…you broke it and you left me because you have a girlfriend!».  
«I didn’t. I would never do that to you. Can you feel it?», Byulyi says, catching Hyejin's hand and directing it on her chest, «my heart. It’s yours. And I’m here, with you»  
The younger girl stares hard at Byulyi’s chest for an eternal minute, caressing the bare skin with her nails; then, she squints her eyes several times, to adjust to the dark, letting the tears just streaming down her face.  
«It was just a nightmare, then?», Hyejin rattles, tired, leaving her hand over Byulyi’s heart.  
«Yes, it was. I’m here, with you. I told you before, remember? I will always be here for you»  
«And what about your girlfriend?», Hyejin’s voice is just a hushed whisper now, trying to cover her insecurity.  
«It was a dream. I don’t have a girlfriend»  
«Don’t lie to me. I remember her stench, you know?»  
It takes a second before Byulyi understands who Hyejin is referring to. She is amazed, especially when she remembers the way Hyejin seemed happy that day, how they talked about her date. It was all a facade?  
«She wasn’t my girlfriend. We only went out twice, and I don’t see here anymore, I swear», Byulyi sits up, taking Hyejin with her, «You are my girlfriend now. If you want it to be, of course»  
After what seems like an eternity, Hyejin smiles with tears. And Byul releases a breath she hasn't know she'd been holding.  
«Oh god», Hyejin wipes traces of her tears with the forearm, «I probably look like a crazy person right now»  
«You look beautiful», she finds herself to reply, winking, to cheer her up.  
Hyejin squeaks, embarrassed.  
«Cheesy»  
«You better get used to it, baby»  
«I already am»  
«You've got all the answers like always», she giggles, kissing Hyejin’s temple.  
«I try, girlfriend» the girl replies, laughing and settling into her embrace.  
  
 _Girlfrien_ _d._  
  
Byulyi feels butterflies in her stomach, just like when she was a little girl; she takes a big sniff, loving how Hyejin’s smell is still mixed with hers, declaring to the world that she is taken. She has a girlfriend.  
«Anyway, I think we should take a little shower and get something to eat, before returning to our boring life», Hyejin says, yawning, without moving a single muscle.  
«You’re going to work today? You’re not too tired?»  
«I only have five days off for the heat, and now I really need this job since I can’t go to America anymore»  
America.  
Byulyi had stopped thinking about it during those months because it seemed like something so far away, but, obviously, Hyejin not. It’s Hyejin big dream, after all, be a singer. She doesn't know what to reply, because she can’t think to let the girl go away in America, but at the same time, she can't imagine Hyejin happy in any other career.  
They'll talk about that another time, anyway.  
«Fuck them, they can’t deny you some sick days. And you are deadly tired, after a long exhausting heat. Let them try to fire you, I shut them down»  
«Sometimes I forget you are a labor consultant and all that», she laughs airily.  
«The best labor consultant, I would say. So, you will stay at home today because your doctor would tell you exactly the same thing. You have to rest, and be pampered by your lovely girlfriend»  
«You'll stay with me? And your job?»  
«It can wait another day or two. You don’t», she says, reluctantly getting up, «However, we still take that shower»  
«God yes, I’m all sticky», and with that, Hyejin gets up as well, going toward the bathroom in all her naked glory.  
Byulyi can't help but stare at her, frozen by that vision. Hyejin is a view: her body is riddled with love bites, hickeys, a few scratches and her tanned skin almost shine under the artificial lighting.  
What Byulyi wouldn't give in that moment for a camera, to imprint that perfection into a photo.   
Hyejin stops on the doorway, shooting her a seductive look.  
«You are not coming?», she asks, all innocent.  
Byulyi swallows.  
 _You’r_ _e going to kill me, Ahn Hyejin._

 

«We’re running late, Hyejin. Are you ready?»  
«In a minute!»  
Byulyi keeps looking at the watch impatiently, jangling her car keys. They are about to leave after a total of six days at home and they are going to the pub, no less.  
Hyejin performs tonight, after a week, and they will show up as a couple to their friends for the first time. To say that she is nervous would be an understatement.  
«Come on, babe, we got to get Yongsun, you remember?»  
«Here I am!», and Hyejin emerges from the bedroom with a snappy little suit, and black suedette stilettos. Her make up is strong like always, and her black hair, straighten with a flat iron, falls perfectly on her shoulder.  
 _Dear God._  
«Tell me, how do I look?»  
 _Fuckable._  
Totally fuckable.  
Hyejin looks fuckable, and they're about to go into a pub full of horny teenagers.  
«Are you intending to go dressed like that?», she says, a little too rough maybe, but she doesn't like the idea of her girlfriend half naked surrounded by wankers.  
«Why? Last time I wore it, I think you liked it»  
Byulyi blushes, recalling perfectly the last time the girl wore that sexy outfit; apparently, she wasn't very discreet about her sneaky glances as she thought.  
«It's just really provocative. Too revealing, for my taste. I do not like thinking about how they will stare at you»  
«Hm hm», Hyejin nods as she puts on her jacket, taking care to not mess up her hair.  
«You are not going to change your clothes, are you?»  
Hyejin smiles, gives her a peck on the cheek «Let’s go get Yongsun-unnie, we are already late»  
Byulyi snorts, tucking in the scarf. They slip into the car quickly, turning on the radio: an old song rings, but Hyejin doesn’t sing it, just puts her hand up against the window, lost in her thoughts.  
«You are nervous?» Byulyi asks, stopping at the red light, «Because I am. Totally. I'm terrified»  
The younger girl smirks, but her expression turns serious, tense, very quickly.    
«I told her», Hyejin says with a small voice, as if she confessed an unforgivable sin, «I told Wheein last night»  
«And she didn't take it well», Byulyi deduces.  
«Of course not»  
Byulyi searches immediately Hyejin’s hand, squeezing it gently.  
Honestly, Byulyi feared the reaction of Wheein the most, aware of the relationship between the two young girls, and she can’t say she is amazed by Wheein behavior.  
How can someone be happy when the love of their life has chosen another person? Wheein is generous and kind, but she is human and she has every right to be angry and hurt; sadly, that knowledge doesn’t make her feel better at all.  
«I think I broke her heart», Hyejin's voice is reduced to a whisper, a whiny peep, «She hates me, now. One of the most important people in my life hates me, but I can't help to be happy. I feel so guilty»  
«Wheein just needs to absorb the information. She has the right to ignore you for a while. Just give her space, ok? Don't push her, don’t force her to talk to you. She loves you so much, and she won't let you go, but she needs time»  
«Yes», Hyejin gives her a forced smile, her eyes are glazed, but not a single tear falls «You are right. I know. I’m so selfish...»  
«I broke her heart too. I’m selfish just like you. We have committed the same crime» Byulyi says, stopping the car in the street in front of Yongsun house, «Now, relax and breathe deeply» and she leans over to kiss her. Hyejin responds eagerly, putting one hand on the back of her head.  
It's the slam of the car door that stops them.  
Yongsun’s eyes are frozen on them, her mouth wide open.  
Byulyi is about to say something, but as she sees Yongsun catches some air, sniffing Hyejin’s scent without even wanting it, she shuts her mouth, holding her breath.  
 **«ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!»**

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy holidays, everyone! Hope you're all well!  
> Honestly this chapter was ready for a while, but unfortunately there's been a bereavement in my family and I didn't have the strength to read anything. I'm sorry about all the mistakes!  
> Anyway, the next will be the last chapter. Thanks for all the subscriptions and the comment! I really appreciate it! 


	8. Eighth

«Okay, okay, please just tell me one more time!»

Yongsun asks her, enthusiastic about the whole thing; her eyes shine with a dazzling light, and that makes Byulyi consider the possibility that the cocktail between her best friend’s hands is not non-alcoholic at all.  
They’re at the club, waiting for the performance of Hyejin at the bar counter, a drink in front of them. Yongsun wanted to know the details,  _all the details_ , how they mated and how good was the sex, and Byulyi told her everything, trying not to blush in the process.   
Yongsun’s favorite part, however, was another.  
«Please Byul, tell me again!»  
«I beat that worm up until he started crying and then I warned him to disappear from my sight as fast as he could» she says, rolling her eyes.  
«MY GOD, MY GOOOD», Yongsun in that exact moment was the perfect image of an overexcited teenager in front of her favorite tv show and seriously, how can a 30-year-old woman look like this?  
«And he just walked away? In silence?»  
She nods, exploring with her eyes their surroundings. Wheein’s nowhere in sight.  
Sure, Byulyi was expecting it. Probably, the younger girl took off from work to avoid this awkward moment and she really can’t blame her. Indeed, it's better this way for now. Honestly, Byulyi still does not know what to say to Wheein, how to justify herself. There's no good way to talk about that entire situation.  
How do you mend a broken heart? Love is such a selfish affair.  
«So where is he now?», Yongsun’s tone is more serious now, and it brings her back to reality.  
«I hope he dug a hole in the ground and died inside as I suggested him», she shrugs, taking a sip of her beer «if he tries to appear again, I’ll beat him to death. Such elements are a disgrace to alpha everywhere»  
«I’m almost envious of Hyejin, you seem so cool by now»  
«You missed your chance baby, sorry», she snorts, sticking her tongue out. Yongsun laughs, giving her a chuck on the shoulder.  
God, life can be really strange sometimes; once, long ago, she would probably have paid any price to hear such a thing from Yongsun and now, she is able to simply laugh on it, without feeling bad or hurt. Time can really heal the heart; Byul just hopes that will work for Wheein too.

«And now, what are you going to do? You live already together, should I expect a nephew soon?»

Byul nearly chokes on her drink, totally unprepared to hear that; she gasps for air, her brain already providing her a beautiful image of Hyejin with a belly. It feels amazing and scary at the same time. She begins coughing, and Yongsun hits her on the back, laughing airily.  
«Don’t die, Hyejin would never forgive me!» she jokes, tucking a lock of her chin-length hair behind her ear.  
«God Yong, never do it again» she manages to say once she calmed down.  
«I'm curious, can you blame me? I kind of thought you two would end up together. I’m a Hwabyul fan!»  
«Hwabyul?»  
«Do you prefer “Byulhwa”? I'm not crazy about it but…»  
«Oh my god, how do you think of these things?» she asks, frankly amazed by her best friend.  
«Don't be so boring, Byul! And answer the question: what do you do now?»  
Byulyi leaves her empty glass on the bar and shrugs, not willing to speak about it, but it’s no hope that Yongsun will lay off on this. Still, she is unsure about what to say, about the entire topic. Things between her and Hyejin evolved fast, and not in a classic way, and sometimes it scares her. She started to wonder what it would take to impress her girlfriend, to convince her to stay forever.  
«I don’t really know…We live together, and we've already had sex, we even mated…I don't know how to make it special…»  
«Oh Byul», Yongsun’s voice is soft, almost sympathetic, «I think your relationship is already important to Hyejin. Don't think of unnecessary things, she loves you and probably she doesn’t even expect too much. She just wants you, and your greasy lines»  
Byulyi can’t help but smile at Yongsun’s words, feeling a bit reassured. She feels silly because what she and Hyejin share is beautiful and special, but a lot of time has passed since her last love story, and she is afraid of ruining something. Her skills are rusty, probably.  
«First of all», she says, pointing a finger at Yongsun «my pickup lines are amazing. Two, I know. I really know you are right, but…I really want to do something special for her. I thought I could buy rings, but maybe it’s too soon»  
«What about a date? You two went out to dinner after you two mated?»  
«Well…not really. I ordered Thai food after sex, it counts?»  
«No, of course not! Step one, get her to dinner in a fancy restaurant, and buy her flowers»  
«You know, It’s not a bad idea. I'm sure she'd like that»«Right? I’m a genius, I know it. Step two, wear something very naughty under your clothes, buy some sexy lingerie, for both of you. You'll thank me later! And…»  
«Oh god stop stop stop, I get it I get it!» she cuts her, flustered; her cheeks are probably pink by now. Yongsun, for the first time ever, seems to have mercy and doesn’t mock her for her shyness. Or, much more likely, Yongsun is really drunk as she assumed and didn’t notice her discomfort.  
«So, where are you taking Hyejin?»  
«Well, don’t really know it on the spot! Yedam, maybe? It’s fancy and sophisticated, and I want to try it out for months now. My boss loves it»  
«Irene told me that it’s expensive but good. They do all those special dishes with aesthetic presentations and strange names…like MasterChef, you know?»  
«Oh…it could be nice…»  
« _Not_ the best idea, frankly. Hyejin loves eating, she likes having a full dish in front of her, not those mini-portions of food typical of fancy restaurants. Take her to a local restaurant, a good one, she loves gopchang, and beef in general. And beer, a ton of beer»  
Byul turns her head abruptly toward the bar, to stare at the source of that voice.  
Wheein has a smile on her face, and she’s wearing her black jacket, ready to leave; she's dressed too well to be there to work, probably she is even wearing heels.

«You…», Byul’s voice gets all weird, but it’s too late to sound calm and relaxed «You cut your hair…»

Wheein smile widens as she brushes her hair back over her right ear; she has shortened them to her jaw, and her face seems sharper, more mature and serious «Nothing gets past you, hm? Yes! It was finally time for a change, don’t you think?»  
The implications of Wheein’s words are clear and obvious, and Byul just nods, tense; Wheein does not seem intent on insulting her, or Hyejin, but it’s naïve to think it's all over and done with. She must say something, anything, but Wheein saves her the hassle of talking right away, waving her hands.  
«Anyway, I need to go, I have a date. My shift ended two hours ago, I lost track of time while I was getting ready. Have a good night!», and Wheein is already out of the bar.  
It's an automatic reflex following her outside, even though Yongsun calls her, trying to stop her; she runs to the door, letting the music and noise of the people behind her, inside the pub; outside is silent, and dark, and desert.  
The girl is standing at the bus stop, and doesn’t seem surprised to see her, in fact the opposite; her eyes spotted her almost immediately, no smile on the face.  
«Unnie» she says, after some seconds of ugly silence, «the bus is coming»  
Byul indeed sees the bus coming from the end of the road to the transit stop, and she knows she must hurry to explain herself, but no sound comes out of her mouth. Wheein lets out a sigh as she slowly prepares herself to get on the bus; the vehicle stops in front of the girl and Byul feels like throwing up.  
«I’m sorry», it’s all she gets to say, in the end.   
  
_Sorry, I broke your heart too._  
_Sorry, I still adore you._  
_Sorry, I love her._  
_Sorry, I’m not sorry that I’m in love with her._

«Don’t be», Wheein whispers, averting Byul’s eyes for the first time «The best thing for the princess is end up with the prince»

 

In the end, Byul decided not to bring Hyejin anywhere for their first official date: she wanted to surprise her, then she ordered some takeaway food: Italian, Korean, Thai, Chinese, even French, and various types of beer, like Wheein said. She lit countless candles around the house, and put on very sexy underwear: she even bought something for Hyejin, like Yongsun said. Perfect, she wants it perfect.  
And now, all she can do is wait: she is agitated, has even goosebumps, and cannot sit still, keeping moving back and forth, staring at the door from time to time. Per se, it is not a strange thing, Hyejin is always late, the problem is time. The food is getting cold, and the candles…  
It's a relief when the door finally opens, and Hyejin crosses the threshold with her heels: the girl is incredibly beautiful, very dressed up as if she figured out everything but, by the way she smiles, the surprise has succeeded. Byul starts breathing again. She is not really good at these things anymore.  
The girl makes a few steps, looking at the room and she seems ecstatic.  
«What’s this?», she asks with her eyes wide open.  
«Our first real date...» she says, taking Hyejin’s hand and walking her to the table full of food «I wanted it to be special and perfect so, you know, candles are a classic. For the food…well, I did not know what to choose, so I took a bit of everything»  
Byul lights up the last candle, the one on the table, and smiles, very pleased with herself. She made it.  
She doesn't expect Hyejin’s arms around her neck, or the kiss, a toe-curling kiss that makes Byul’s groin pulse with desire and needs. She cannot help but think about how Hyejin will look good with the lingerie she bought for her, and she swallows, sitting at the table. Romantic is the watchword tonight, she thinks, trying to cool off.  
Hyejin also sits, apparently unaware of the effect of her kiss, and starts poking around the food happily. It's something beautiful watching Hyejin enjoying her food, her face lights up and her eyes just filled with joy, like a child with candies. Really beautiful.  
«Bon appetit», she exclaims, grabbing a slice of pizza.  
They enjoy their dinner talking about their childhood, family, friends, everything; for the whole time there is a smile on their face, and Byul can’t believe how lucky she is that she met her. She must thank Yongsun’s incapacity to mind her own business, probably. And Hani, for mentioning the pub.  
«By the way, I also have a surprise», Hyejin says, interrupting her thoughts. She stares, chewing some chicken, but Hyejin seems nervous, all of a sudden. She stops, her entire concentration focused on her, curious.  
«I had a job interview today. I did not want to say anything until they let me know something, but the boss seemed enthusiastic about me and so…»  
«A job about…?»  
«A makeup store! I’m kinda good with makeup, and they pay very well. I’m sick of working at the supermarket, I hope they hire me. They'll let me know by next week!»  
«But…what about your dream? You always wanted to be a singer»  
Hyejin bites her lower lip, dropping her gaze to her food.  
_Wrong question._  
«I didn’t tell you this that time but…you know, I auditioned here, in Seoul, with Wheein, long time ago. Wheein is pretty and thin, and quiet, she has had a lot of proposals. She almost debuted once, you know? But I...I was not really appreciated. My voice maybe, but…Well. However, I can’t debut as a soloist without an agency behind. And I’m old for the industry. So…»  
Hyejin’s voice becomes nothing more but a whisper, and Byul knows how hard it’s for her to say those word. But everything is just wrong. Hyejin is destined to sing.  
«What about America?», she finds herself asking, desperately searching Hyejin’s eyes. The latter stares at her for a moment before answering, abandoning her chopstick on the table.   
«I clearly can’t go anymore. I don’t want to. I want to stay here, with you» like a good omega, society should say.  
But Hyejin's words hold a bitter-sweet taste to her ears. Hyejin is giving up her dreams for love, for…her.  
Byul has always thought that love is a selfish affair, but maybe, she just realizes, she had never known it very well. Love is sacrificing, sometimes, if it's worth it. And this time, it is definitely worth it.  
«I can't let you do that» she finally says, holding Hyejin’s hand above the table. Hyejin stares at her with eyes wide open, without saying a word.  
«You cannot give up on your dreams for me. I don’t let you. You are not a makeup artist or a cashier. You sing like a pro. The stage belongs to you Hyejin, no-one can ever deny it. You are a singer», she smiles, strengthening her grip «And you can’t give up for me. Do you understand me? You have to go and try»  
Hyejin’s hand is shaking, but Byul doesn’t move; she can just wait for the girl to process her words. There is a strange silence, full of uncertainty, but Byul never has been so determined on something. It’s all clear to her, now. It was so easy.  
«Are you…are you breaking up with me?», Hyejin asks, after a while.  
«What? No! Oh my god, that came out wrong! I just mean that you are a singer. There's tons of stuff you can do. You've got to start trying new agencies. New auditions, new casting! We will find an agency, a big agency for your talent. People will shout “ _Stan Hwasa!_ ” on the streets. And you will become famous, like your beloved Beyoncé»  
The girl doesn’t reply, probably overwhelmed, but Byul continues, getting them up, «And if no one will understand your skills and your talent, I'll take you to America!»  
«What? What about your job?!»  
«Who cares? You will be rich. I can be the housewife, I'll take care of the children and the house. I wouldn't be the first alpha to do that»  
«C…children? You want kids…with me?»  
«That's what you picked up from what I just said?» she asks, laughing.  
And Hyejin, thankfully, starts laughing too, finally lightening the mood a little.  
«I love you», Byul says again, embracing her tightly «So I'm trying to get us both happy. And yes, I want children. I want a family, with you»  
Hyejin clings to her with her entire energy, without laughing anymore. She's holding back tears, judging by the way she is avoiding her eyes, and Byul just cradles her, smiling.  
«What did I do to deserve a girlfriend like you?», Hyejin’s voice is muffled, but Byul hears it very clearly. She chuckles, moving away slightly for admiring her girlfriend’s face. Hyejin eyes are not wet, but soft and warm.  
«You win the jackpot indeed» she jokes, giving her a kiss on the hand, «I am a loyal prince, love. Anything else you need?»  
«Yes», Hyejin says, grinning at her gesture, «I want the dessert»  
«I bought a chocolate cake and…»  
«I wasn't talking about the food, love»  
«Oh»  
Hyejin puts their lips together, just an innocent peck, before separating herself from her embrace. She starts to undress slowly, seductively, in the middle of the living room, as if it is a natural thing for her. And, for the entire time of the strip dance, she keeps whisper sweet words toward her, toward her person. What a pity that after Hyejin had taken off her bra, Byul couldn’t stay focused anymore.  
They tumble passionately into bed, naked, forgetting to breathe. They kiss for entire minutes, tasting themselves in the throes of passion, before Byul starts to go down, for sucking Hyejin’s neck, right where her mark is fading.  
And everything, she thinks, every single fiber bit of her girlfriend’s body, has the sweet taste of happiness.  
It’s that exact thought that pops into her head the following morning. Hyejin is sitting on the bed, still naked; Byul sees her perfect profile in the dim light of abatjour.  
It's strange that the girl woke up before her, it never happened before. She pulls up slowly, but Hyejin does not show signs of having noticed her.  
Byul can't resist the temptation to hug her, her arms embracing Hyejin’s naked waist gently, and Hyejin stops her movement, leaning against her body with a low moan.  
«Good morning love» she whispers into her ear, placing sloppy kisses along the neck; the girl stirs, searching more warmth, more naked skin.  
«Mh-mh»  
«What are you doing awake? It's six in the morning, and we did  _a lot_  of exercises last night. You almost passed out, if I remember correctly»  
Hyejin chuckles softly, dropping out something and turning around for kissing her nose «Oh god, don't be so cocky»  
«Can’t help it, you are so cute when you blush. By the way, what on earth were you doing away from my embrace? I felt lonely»  
«I'm composing»  
«At six? Seriously?»  
«Why not? Do you have any other ideas?»  
«One or two maybe…», and her hands wander from Hyejin's hips to her chest, admiring all the red marks on Hyejin’s skin. Each of them carries her signature. It’s pride, that's what flows through her; pride and love. And arousal, o-k. She is human, after all.  
«What are you writing? If I may ask», she breathes on her wet and shiny lips. She could die on those lips, sooner or later. Hyejin pulls away, a feline smile on her face.  
«You were right. I’m a singer. And I write about what I love, so…I’m writing a song»  
«A song about me?»  
«A song about  _love_ », Hyejin specifies, straddling her legs around Byul’s waist; she hangs her hands loosely around her neck and looks straight into Byul's eyes, the smile still on her face.  
«A song about us, then» Byulyi says leaning in for a kiss, her heart racing like crazy «it will be a success, for sure... _It'll be the greatest love song of all time_ »

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello ❤   
> Thank you for reading to the end.


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